Tales
by TwlightMystery
Summary: AU Kuro/Fai, The one-shot collection for the "All I have to give" contest winners. Chapter Two: Chapter: Doppelganger Summary: Sometimes the greatest evil we have to face is not the devil, But rather ourselves and the demons we unknowingly create...
1. Chapter 1 Déjà vu

**Chapter:** Déjà vu 

**Summary:** Do you believe in Reincarnation? 

**Genre: **Horror/ Fantasy/ Romance 

**Dedicated to: **Jade 

**AN:** **PLEASE DON'T LET THE SIZEOF THIS FIC SCARE YOU! THINK OF IT AS A STORY WITH NO UPDATE WAITING PERIOD! Just give it a shot. Please? **

I wasted six hours looking for a castle to suit my story and got very frustrated and fed-up when I couldn't find one to suit my taste or story. Then I kicked myself up the ass and said this is a freakin FANFIC make one up! I could cry! Do you know how many pages could be written in six hours? 

NOTHING IN THIS STORY IS FACTUAL! Good god, please don't use this story as a history lesson! Absolutely everything is made up, and I'm pretty sure you will all realize that as the story goes on. 

**Que music can be found on YouTube! **I highly recommend listening to them while reading. The story was designed with that in mind. 

**Warning: **

There is a sight spoiler in this one. If you didn't read the current manga yet then don't worry about it. If you did, then sorry I simply couldn't resist the temptation of adding that name. 

Characters are OOC, Please don't flame me! 

**Jade:** I know this isn't what you asked for so if it's not to your liking then let me know I'll probably take it down and rewrite it or something. Or maybe I'll just write something different entirely. I'm sorry about the random Japanese but old habits die hard and I thought it added a nice touch. I only used minor words that everyone should be vaguely familiar with. 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything but my original plot. I also don't own the song "Baby Mine" by Allison Krauss. Don't sue me I'm poor! 

**Word List: **

1) Tou-chan (Tou-san) - Is Yuki's cutsey version of saying 'Otousan' or father 

2) Chibi- child Inu-dog 

3) Musuko- son 

Oji-chan – (Ojiisan) meaning uncle 

**Ages: **

Fai D. Fluorite - 24 

Akihiro (dog) – blue-eyed Alaskan malamute 1-2 

Seiryuu Yuki Fluorite - 5 

Ashura – 29 

Kurogane - 25 

Youou- 28 

Yuui- 17-18 

Lady Alexandra 17

* * *

(Present) 

Fai watched as his five year old son glued his face to the window of the limo in amazement. Fai was right next to him with his cheek pressed together with the plump round one of the excited boy. He wrapped his arms around the tiny waste as the boy squirmed in his lap before settling down again. 

"Tou-chan, look look! (1)" he pointed furiously to the massive structure looming over them in the distance as if his father couldn't see it. 

"I see I see Yu-chan. Isn't it exciting? We're gonna be living here in this castle for the whole month." Fai's eyes sparkled in mirth as he recalled the nature of their stay. 

At the age of 24, Fai had become a photographer well known for his unique eye and perspective of things. Recently the owner of the Harlaxton Castle decided to have the ancient 16th century castle restored so it could be opened as a public tourist attraction. But before he moved forward with his plans he wanted the entire castle captured in it's aged glory prior to renewal. 

Hence Fai got a big fat paycheck and an all expense free trip with his son, best friend, and family dog. 

"Thanks again for coming all this way Ashura." 

"There's no need for that, you didn't exactly have to twist my arm to get me to tag along Fai." The older male smiled at the beautiful blonde sitting across from him. Sometimes it amazed him how well Fai took care of his little boy. The man could be such a child himself, but then again, he supposed that's why Yuki so whole heartedly loved his father com mother. Fai's girlfriend wanted nothing to do with him or their child after he was born. So she upped and left without a trace. Not that Fai cared... it wasn't like he'd been in love with her or anything. It was more of a... mutual friendship with benefits. 

Fai looked down to see their beautiful blue-eyed Alaskan malamute resting fitfully on the seat beside him. He was a very powerful dog with a beautiful white underbelly coat. Light grey and black fur coated his lean back and hid his sturdy slender frame. The dog was a loyal as they came, both Fluorite's had taken an immediate liking to him when they found him at the adoption agency. He wasn't a full adult male yet but his size was larger than average. 

"What's the matter Aki-chan? You're normally so hyper, you're not felling well boy?" Fai cooed as he gently rubbed up and down his neck, burying his slender fingers in the thick fur. 

His answer was a pathetic whimper and a head nuzzling his thigh. 

"Hahaha okay I get it! Our big puppy just wants to be spoiled." Fai petted him again before turning to his son. 

"So Yu-chan, how bout we go put our things in our room before we go exploring, Aki chan could use the exercise." 

"Where are you staying by the way I was under the impression that the place wasn't livable." Ashura asked in genuine curiosity. 

"Ah it isn't. We'll be staying with the caretaker in the servant's quarters about half a mile away from the actual premises. It'll be quite a walk but it's not that far." 

"You know it's not too late to book a room in the lodge. The town is only a few miles away. I'd feel much more comfortable if you two...erm...three were to stay with me." 

If it were possible Ashura would have sworn that Aki was glaring at him. 

"You worry too much. Staying in town would ruin the whole novelty of staying in a castle. And besides, when would we ever get an opportunity like this again? If you're so worried then you should come stay with us instead." Fai countered with. 

However, even though he said that he was silently praying that the man would refuse the request. He really did care for his raven haired best friend, but the man harbored feeling greater then friendship for the platinum blonde. 

Whenever Yuki wasn't around, Ashura would try to push for a more intimate relationship. Fai tried explaining that it wasn't such a great idea but Ashura was persistent. Fai would have gotten fed-up with him a long time ago but Ashura cared very dearly for his little family. And in all honesty Fai really didn't know why he didn't want a relationship. He was bisexual and the raven had everything to offer from good looks to financial security. Not that Fai needed either. His paycheck alone could probably carry Ashura, Yuki, Aki, and himself quite comfortably. And the photographer had his fair share of admirers to. He had invited the man out of a mere form of obligation to that bond. He knew Ashura knew this as well but he wasn't one to pass up an opportunity. 

Ashura stare at the quickly approaching castle and immediately shook his head with little hesitation to speak of. "I think I'll decline the offer. I get the feeling that something's not quite right here." 

"Oh? Since when do you go by gut instinct?" Fai inquired teasingly. 

"Tou-chan, Asha-Ojii-chan where here! Come on lets go!" Fai hadn't even realized that they came to a stop. Before he could stop the little balls of energy, both Aki and Yuki were out the door. 

The two older males chuckled before they followed them out. "Oy remember what we just said, settle in first then explore latter!" Fai hollered to his wandering chibi and Inu. (2) 

Yuki pouted as he ran back to his father's side with Aki in tow. The three chatted animatedly as they made their way up to the entryway of the grand castle. 

"Tou-chan can I sleep in your room? Please?" Yuki didn't really understand why Asha-ojii-chan was trying to make them leave but he didn't want them too so he interrupted. 

"Of course Musuko!" (3) Fai picked the little boy up in his arms as they ascended the stairs. He was a little small for his age, but that just made it easier for Fai to carry him around. When they reached the top Fai was greeted with a sight he greedily drank in. 

The most attractive, gorgeous, down right sexy male he'd ever lay eyes on, was resting casually with his eyes closed and foot propped against one of the enormous 30ft pillars holding the archway up. 

He was dressed casually in a burgundy sleeveless shirt that accented his muscular torso leading into a narrowed waist, and black jeans that fit snugly but not tightly on his sinewy legs. 

"Welcome to Harlaxton Castle." A deep smooth voice reverberated through the heavy air. The man pushed himself away from the pillar using his leg and turned to face them all in one fluid graceful movement without opening his eyes. 

Fai put his precious little boy down as he extended his hand in greeting. Ruby eyes stared into sapphire blue and a mutual thought ran though their heads as they shook hands. 'Breathtaking...' 

The spell was broken when an innocent voice filled with amazement and wonder reached their ears. "Tou-chan it's a giant... just like in my storybook, and he lives in a castle to!" 

The child's beautiful self-satisfied smile and thrilled clever observation made the mysterious man smirk. Before he could say anything Fai winked at him and then decided to indulge in the childish fantasy. 

"So there is, why don't you introduce yourself Yu-chan? I'm sure he's a nice giant!" Fai grinned in the most silliest way possible before pushing his little boy forward. 

"So kid, got a name?" The 'giant' crouched down so he could stare the cherubic child in the eye. He was the spitting image of his blonde father. And if genetics had any say in this boy's future, he was going to grow up to be quite the heartbreaker. 

He smiled bashfully with a hot blush on his cheeks and mumbled, "Seiryuu Yuki Fluorite." 

"Hn that's a pretty long name, but it suits you. I actually prefer Seiryuu myself." Kurogane reached his arm out to shake the child's hand but he was greatly surprised when his arms were suddenly filled with a small warm body and a quick kiss on his cheek to boot. 

"Thank you, you can call me that if want to!" Yuki cried out as he burrowed himself into the man's inviting arms. For some reason he couldn't explain, he felt safe here. 

Fai tried to hide his grin behind his hand but was failing miserably. Yuki had only ever clung to him like that. Even though he knew Ashura all his life he still didn't dare hang on to the man for longer then a few seconds. It was peculiar that his usually withdrawn son would get attached to someone so quickly. 

"I'm sorry he isn't normally that affectionate with strangers. Actually I believe that you're the first one he's actually told his name to. Usually he hides behind my legs." 

"Hn," the stranger grunted in reply. He attempted to pry the boy's arms off in order to stand but Yuki had such a sad look on that he sighed in frustration before resigning himself to his fate. He wrapped an arm around Yuki's legs and stood up holding the boy close to his chest. 

"Lets try this again, I'm Kurogane Suwa and you all are?" Kurogane introduced himself while trying to adjust the child in his arms. 

"I'm Fai D. Fluorite, the hired photographer who's gonna be staying with you for the next month. That munchkin in your arms is my recently turned five year old son. That ball of fur sitting at your feet is our puppy, his name is Akihiro, or Aki-chan for short. And last but not least is Ashura, my best friend." Fai gestured to everyone as he spoke with a small sweep of his hand. 

Kurogane for the first time noticed the not so small 'puppy' sitting at his feet, and he had to wonder what on earth the blonde was feeding him if he was supposed to be a puppy. 

Ashura shook Kurogane's hand warily as if not really trusting the man but he smiled none the less if only for the sake of his favorite child. He couldn't help but be jealous as Yuki clung to a perfect stranger while he still shied away from him. 

"Your names are all Japanese, I take it it's your nationality?" 

"How observant Kuro-rin! I was born in America but my mother was Japanese so that's were the name came from. I moved back to Japan for my high school years and then Yuki came along. We adopted our puppy for Yuki's fifth birthday, and Ashura just came with the packaged deal. Are you from Japan?" Fai explained without missing a beat. He couldn't take his eyes off of the man before him. There was a sense familiarity but for some reason Fai felt this horrid longing for something he couldn't explain. 

"It's Kurogane not Kuro-rin! And yes I am." The man growled out causing the child in his arms to jump slightly. 

"I thought there were only two of you, not three. Sorry I should go prepare another roo..." 

"...No need to bother Ashura will be staying in the small town just a few miles north of here." 

"Actually I was thinking that that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to sleep here..." Ashura saw the way those two were looking at each other and this time around he felt white hot jealousy creep up his spine. It wasn't fair! He was here first! It was him that stayed glued to Fai's side when he wasn't traveling for work! It was him that was there for Fai when that bitch upped and left them with absolutely nothing! Fai loved him like a brother, but somehow Ashura didn't want that kind of love. He wanted to be the one to comfort the blonde... 

"Don't be silly Ashura the sponsor already paid for your room it would seem rude to cancel now." Fai interrupted his train of though. His smile was still in place but his eyes dared Ashura to contradict him. 

"On second thought, perhaps we should get you two...er...three settled." The dog was glaring at him again. 

"Kuro- wanta you look awfully young to be a caretaker. How old are you?" 

"25, and don't call me that! It gets the bills paid with little to no interaction with society's corrupted ways." Kurogane obviously wasn't much of a conversationalist. 

"Hey you're only a year older then me! And I hear ya on that one." Fai second as they followed the man down the stairs and to the servants quarters further up the barren forest. 

* * *

(16th century past...) 

Prince Yuui fought the urge to run away as his bride to be, Lady Alexandra, talked his ears off with her plans for after marriage. 'Was I not supposed to be the one crowned king? Where in heavens name did she get the idea that I would let her handle my affairs?' 

"My lord, are you not paying attention?" her thick British accent invaded his thoughts. Lady Alexandra at seventeen years of age was dubbed princess of England by birth right. Within two months she was to be engaged with Prince Yuui on his 18th birthday. Lady Alexandra was madly in love with her husband to be. Who wouldn't be? He was the perfect gentlemen with striking features and a fortune large enough to purchase another country if he so chose to. 

"Yes Milady of course." Yuui had learned a long time ago to not let her know when his mind wandered off leaving her to rant all by her lonesome. She was worse then a pretentious harpy! He honestly couldn't see himself living with her for the rest of his days. 

His gaze traveled out the window as he felt memories of his homeland enrapture him. It made him sick to think of how long ago he'd left France to fulfill his duty of finding the perfect bride. 

Lady Alexandra was as beautiful as she was prim and proper. Though, that knowledge did little to console Yuui. From the moment he laid his eyes upon her he knew this woman would be his demise. If not by hanging, then by other means necessary. A man could only endure so much torture! 

"We've arrived." Yuui informed as the servants opened the large doors leading into the dinning quarters. Their entrance was as grand as should be as the lovely pair made their way to the table. 

Yuui took his proper place next to his Mother. The king of England, Henry the VI, sat at the head of the table along with his father, King Lothair. The table was wide enough to accommodate both royal head figures. Their respective wives took their places at their sides. Yuui sat to his mothers left and Lady Alexandra to Yuui's left. Yuui gazed across from him at the empty chair feeling disappointment well up within him. Before he could voice his question, the dinning quarter's doors were opened once again and in stepped the man he was hoping to see. No matter how his church forbade it, or his parents preached on how their souls would be dammed to hell for liking one of the same gender... Yuui couldn't stop his heart form palpitating furiously within his chest at the sight of the handsome Captain of the guard, Youou. 

The man and his platoon had traveled all the way from France for the princes affairs. Yuui had always admired his bravery and skill but somewhere down the line he fell deeply in love with the headstrong man. Youou took his proper place across from the crown prince and their eyes met for a brief moment. Yuui could have sworn the man smirked at him but it was to fast to decipher. His cheeks dusted a faint pink, and he was sure that the captain saw that because this time around he did see his smirk. 

"Are you alright My Lord?" Lady Alexandra's concerned voice rang out. 

Yuui wanted the earth to open up and swallow him when all eyes at the table were directed at him. 

"My dear you are positively burning up!" His mother said in alarm. Yuui felt his face grow hotter as he felt two ruby red eyes peer at him. He didn't have the courage to look up. Yuui was by no means shy. In fact he was well known for his attention getting antics, and flirtatious ways. But for some reason or the other he lost all ability to think straight when the Captain was within visible range. 

"May I be excused your Majesties? I feel a bit light headed." 

"But of course my son, I shall have your dinner sent to your bedchambers." King Henry quickly summoned the servants as Yuui made his hasty retreat. 

When he was sure the coast was clear he let out a sigh of relief and allowed his shoulders to slump forward in a defeated manner. He was just a few feet away form his chamber doors now. 

"Saved by the grace of god." Yuui let out a breath of air as he wiped imaginary sweat off his brow bone. 

"Not quite." 

Yuui whipped around only to come face to face the very source of his problem. 

"Youou..." he breathed out while taking in a sharp breath. 

"Are you going to tell me now what has got you so riled up lately?" Youou took a cautious step forward slowly backing the prince into his door. 

"Whatever could you mean? I am perfectly fine." Yuui wasn't so sure he could breathe normally anymore. And whose heart was pounding so loudly? Certainly it couldn't be his. 

"I do not believe for a second the words coming out of your mouth. And I can most certainly guarantee you that neither do you." Youou's frame loomed over the smaller princes by at least two and a half feet. He placed one hand on either side of the blonde's head and trapped him there. 

"Now your highness, care to explain?" he had a teasing smirk on again and Yuui had the sudden urge to wipe the smug expression of the raven haired man's face. 

So he did the only way he knew how. He leant forward and pressed his lips gently to the shocked Captain's. Good grief, how long had he ached to do that? Youou finally snapped out of his stupor and pulled away harshly. 

"Have you no sense? Do you know of the heresy you speak of!" Youou was struggling to keep his voice down as he stared into the clouded eyes of the breathless prince. 

Yuui watched as the emotions battled within his crimson orbs. He reached forward once again and pulled the man to him, sealing their lips for only a few moments before smiling at him. 

"I care not for the consequence. I will take responsibility for my actions should the time arise." 

"You are to be engaged in two months, what then? I am nearly 10 years your senior, I am expected to sire children with a respectable wife. What then?" Youou tried to reason with the stubborn boy. 

Jealousy flashed across the princes eyes at the suggestion of another touching his beloved Captain. "We'll run away together!... I do not know, we will figure it out when the time comes! For this is what I desire." Yuui cried out in frustration as he opened his chamber door and quickly pulled them inside in order to avoid prying eyes and gossip tuned ears. 

"Why risk it all for something that is forbidden? Your soul will be damned to hel..." 

"Spare me the lecture that the priest and my parents preach. I am in love and I need no further motive." Yuui stared at the man without budging, devotion and love storming across his icy blue pools 

"This can destroy everything you are...everything we are." Youou tried one last time in vain. 

"If it means being able to spend eternity with you, then I want to be destroyed." Yuui whispered seductively. His eyes were lidded in that come hither manner which drove all doubt from the captain's mind. He gently grasped the man in a loving embrace before recapturing his lips. 

That night a tragic passionate love story began that would transcend the ages and reverberate through the castle walls... 

* * *

(Present) 

Yuki ran down the halls carefully inspecting each room. He wanted the one with the prettiest view. In the end he chose the one located at the end of the third floor. It had the perfect outlook of the castle. 

"Tou-chan, can Aki-chan and I go exploring now?" 

Fai looked at the other two occupants in the room and received apologetic looks from the both of them. 

"It's getting pretty late, if I want to make it back to the hotel by sunset then I need to get going." Ashura explained. 

"So you're not going to come with us?" Yuki's pout almost made the man change his mind...almost. 

"Sorry Yuki-kun maybe next time?" 

"Okay, bye Asha Oji-chan." 

"I'll call to check up on you tomorrow Fai-kun, It was nice meeting you Suwa-san." Kurogane nodded as the man left for the castle in order to reach his limo driver. 

Fai sensed Kurogane getting ready to announce his departure as well and before the man could voice anything Fai was already on top of it. 

"Won't you stay a while longer Kuro-piiko? I wanna know more 'bout this place!" Fai questioned with a sweep of his hands to indicate the vast expanse of property. 

"Idiot! Nothing I say will get you to call my name properly, will it? He growled out half in irritation and half in defeat. 

"Nuh-uh." Fai shook his head vigorously unmindful of the name calling. It was only fair retaliation after Fai had set himself up for that one. But that only made it all the more fun. He patted a spot on the bed indicating the man to sit down, but Kurogane simply sat on the floor, bracing against the wall with his feet crossed Indian-style. 

"I'm fine here thank-you" he bit out sarcastically. 

"Yu-chan, why don't you change into your jammies? Fai asked his son instead of acknowledging Kurogane's resistance. 

The little boy who was staring at the two adults in confusion quickly ran to the dresser to fetch his pajamas that he saw his father put in there only moments ago. He grabbed his favorite pair and raced back to his clearly happy father. 

"Tou-chan can you help me please?" Yuki was antsy and he could only guess it was because his new friend was in the room. 

"Aright soldier, arms in the air!" Fai's voice held mock seriousness as he waited for his son to obey. 

Yuki blinked before an ear splitting grin threatened to swallow his face. With a quick salute like he'd seen in so many of his cartoon's he stood stiff as a cardboard with his hands straight up in the air. Fai made quick work of his clothes with practiced ease. 

Yuki jumped on his father when he was done and gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek, "Thank you." He said quickly. 

In the meantime Kurogane was entertaining himself with the dog that had taken quite the liking to him. Aki rested his head on Kurogane's lap obediently while the man smoothed back the scruff of his neck. He watched as the little boy approached him, now clad in his baby blue one piece pajamas (booties included) covered in white puffy clouds, and yellow moons and stars. 

Yuki wrung his hands in nervousness, not really knowing how to ask his question. 

"C-can I... can I..." he blushed furiously as he stretched out his arms hoping that that would convey what he wanted. 

The child's uncertainty was the most innocent expression the larger man had ever seen. Kurogane knew without a doubt that that boy would be spoiled rotten... it really couldn't be helped. Even if he wasn't much of a people person, this boy simply could not be denied. 

Kurogane wordlessly picked him up and slipped him into his lap. Yuki immediately cuddled into the strong chest and arm cradling him. Fai watched with curiosity as his son practically clung to the stranger. 

He took a pillow and threw it to the foot of the bed where he preceded to lay on his stomach facing the rest of the room's occupants. 

He propped his head up and stared at them before pouting. "I feel so unloved right now! Why is Kuro- rin gettin' all the loving" Fai expected his son to protest and apologize like he always did when Fai whined, but the cherubs soft and even breaths told him that he was fast asleep. Aki shifted a bit but otherwise the pooch was long gone too. It wasn't surprising considering how long they had traveled to get there. 

"Soooo Kuro-wan what's the story behind this place? Why wasn't it renovated before like the others, why now?" Fai spoke quietly knowing that his dog was a light sleeper and his son was rather irritable when awoken in the middle of the night. 

"He tried to at least twice before this, but every time his plans fell through. And as for the story behind this place, well it's more gory than I'm comfortable with. Hundreds of people were killed here. Some of it was murder and the majority was just corporal punishment. I will tell you this though don't leave your kid or dog alone in this place." It was more than Kurogane had spoken all day. 

Fai got the distinct feeling that the man didn't speak this much often so he took his words to heart. "What aren't you telling me Kuro-sama? Why shouldn't they be left alone?" 

"Let's just put it this way... things do go bump in the night and it ain't no robber either." His voice was grave as he stared directly into Fai's shocked deep pools of blue. 

"Sorry Kuro-tan, not to say that I don't appreciate the warning, but I don't believe in those things. I'm a bit of a skeptic myself." 

"Oh? Well then we'll just have to see. I should head to bed right about now. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Kurogane gently shook the dog awake and stood up with Yuki held in his protective grasp. Fai sat up as well allowing Kurogane room to lay him on the bed. He softly brushed a few strands of pale gold out of the boys face before standing up straight. 

"You're really good with kids..." Aki gently nuzzled his leg before leaping onto the foot of the bed and curling into himself. 

"...and apparently dogs to." Fai smiled adoringly at him. Kurogane smirked before petting the dog on the head and turning to leave. 

"Hn" he grunted in response. 

Fai tried to think of something else to make the man stay but nothing came to mind. For reasons unknown, it felt like his heart was breaking as he watched the large silhouette walk out on him. 

Before Kurogane pulled the door completely in he turned around to the blonde. "My room is directly down the hall. If you need anything just knock. g'night." 

"Sweet dreams Kuro- chan." Fai sighed feeling somewhat relieved. Kurogane closed the door as the slighter man slid into bed next to his son. He wrapped his little boy in his arms finally allowing the sandman to whisk him away. 

On the other side of the door Kurogane rested his head on the hard surface as he clenched his large hand into a fist at his side. Red eyes glowed faintly in the dark. 

* * *

(16th century past...) 

"Captain, are you prepared for the ceremony?" The king of France, King Lothair, questioned in reasonably contained excitement. His son was to be engaged in an hour at best and he needed for all to be perfect. 

"Yes your majesty." Youou bowed his head in acknowledgement towards his king. Although his face was passive his insides were churning with a slew of emotions. Anger, jealousy, despair, frustration, and guilt were a few among the most prominent ones. 

"Well then see to it that your men are stationed about properly. There shall be no interruptions. Is that clear Sir Youou?" It had been a while since the king had addressed him by his knight status. Since their arrival to England, his title had all but disappeared as his duty turned into watching the prince round the clock in order to ensure his safety. 

"At once your majesty," he coincided glad for the distraction. The blonde fool of a man had cast some sort of a bewitching spell upon the once level headed soldier. Ever since their shared night, the price used every opportunity to discreetly seek him out. Their time together was always interesting if nothing else. It was spent mostly trying to understand one and other, more often than not by trading life stories and philosophical ideals. He had found out that the seemingly careless blonde was fiercely possessive and outrageously loyal. They were just two of the qualities which made him all the more attractive in Youou's opinion. 

It was their little piece of heaven. Of course the nature of both men forbade a meeting that didn't end up in a sexually arousing situation. Yuui had claimed to love him and the quickly swaying captain was no longer able to deny his growing affection for the ostentatious and untamable prince. Youou was most certainly falling into a forbidden love. And it bothered him that what had started out as an attraction of the physical nature, perverted into something as uncontrollable as love. 

And now the man he harbored these illicit feeling for was getting engaged to a pretentious harpy. Not that he wasn't aware of it to begin with, but now that he was staring it in the face it bothered him a great deal more. 

As he marched around inspecting his troupes he felt slender arms wrap around his torso and drag him towards an abandoned room. As soon as the door shut, long graceful fingers wrapped in his hair pulling him toward the egger pair of lips. He kissed the smaller man until he was breathless and star struck. 

"Have you any idea how terribly long I've waited to do that my love?" Yuui brushed his thumb lovingly across the taught skin of Youou's face in a tender manner. 

Youou caught the hand and stilled it as he brought it to his lips for a chaste lingering kiss, all the while never moving his gaze from the troubled one before him. 

Yuui hung his head forward in defeat allowing his bangs to shield his face from his lover before him. A few tears escaped and cascaded down the gentle slope of his cheek as a sob wrenched in his throat. Strong arms tugged him into a warm and inviting chest allowing him to finally relax his weary body. 

"I am to pledge my fidelity to a woman whom I cannot love, under the eyes of god and the royal court. I do not wish to be with her. Please take me away from here! I shall follow you to the ends of the earth. So just run away with me Youou...please..." The clearly distraught man tightened his grip on the fabric of the tunic embroidered with the royal crest. 

"Sshh, all will be well. We will figure this out together." Youou gently smoothed the blonde's hair in comfort as he began to walk them backwards to the lavish chair set before him. He sat down and cradled the prince in his arms as one would pamper a child. 

"All you are required to do is go out there and smile for a little while. Then as soon as you know it, it will al be over." He placed a gentle kiss to the unresponsive blonde's temple. 

"I cannot, how can you ask that of me knowing that I will be promised to another? Do you not care?" Yuui suddenly bit out callously in realization. Oh dear god, what if the man had been waiting for an opportunity to get away? No one would ever deny the prince, so what if he was just biding his time in order to... 

Yuui's lips were captured in a harsh possessive kiss over and over again. "You belong only to me!... Only with me!...Only by my side... No one else will ever claim your heart! I will kill the son of a bastard who dare lay his hands on you in any way that is not strictly platonic!" Youou growled out between kisses. And Yuui knew without a doubt in his heart that Youou was as in much love with him as he was in love with his beloved captain. 

"Then take me away from here!" he breathlessly pleaded searching those pits of fire that had first ensnared him as a young lad. 

"You cannot abandon your duties. As a leader it is your job to take care of your people. We cannot be selfish enough to abandon a whole nation simply for an unattainable desi...love." he corrected himself unaware that he had used the word for the first time since the whole fiasco started. 

Yuui wanted to argue the point but he knew that, as always, the older man was right. 

"You will not abandon me?" 

"Never..." he whispered tenderly cleaning up any last reaming traces of tears. 

As Youou stood the prince up and began straightening his gold, red, white, and black ceremonial attire, the doors were pushed open and the King strode purposefully in. He didn't even give it a second thought that the Captain of the Guards was left alone in a room while seemingly helping him dress. 

"As dutiful as ever Sir Youou, my son are you ready to begin?" 

Yuui managed to pull a strained smile, that none but his lover noticed was pained. "Of course father shall we?" he replied for the sake of politeness. 

The ceremony went without a hitch, and after several long draining hours, Yuui was aloud to retire to his bed chambers. Unfortunately for him, the demon incarnate herself was awaiting his arrival. 

"Lady Alexandra what are you doing in my private chambers? And dressed in your nightwear? It is most inappropriate! What if someone were to catch you?" Yuui was alarmed and he was starting to panic. 

"Come now love, there is no need for such formalities while we are alone! I simply wished to celebrate our bonding tonight." She coyly whispered in mock innocents. 

The prince cringed at the word _'love'_ as he desperately searched for a way out of his miserable predicament. 

"How my Lady, were you expecting to celebrate?" he questioned despite having a picture perfect idea of what was going through her head. 

"I was planning to let you have a taste of what is to come in a few short months my Prince." She whispered in what she thought was a seductive manner, while allowing a single strap to fall off her pale shoulder. 

Had Yuui been a lesser man, that _wasn't_ in love with another, the offer might have been tempting. But as it stood now all he wanted to do was throw the woman out on her rump for even daring this sort of thing. No matter how badly he wanted her gone he simply could not think of a way to get her to leave without out right rejecting her, And that sort of thing was not allowed least he raised suspicion on her behalf. 

Then almost as if god was sending a signal a curt knock resounded against his door before it was pushed open. 

Youou stood in the door assessing the situation before turning his back to the occupants of the room. "I apologize I did not realize you were entertaining your Fiancée at the moment your highness." 

Alexandra's face burned red at being caught by the most handsome resident of the castle. Yuui was defiantly beautiful but he did not hold the same dangerous allure as Youou did. 

"Have you no manners? Do you not wait to be called upon?" She stuttered trying to save her shredded dignity. 

"I apologize profusely my Lady." Kurogane about-faced and bowed to his future king and queen. 

"All is forgiven, is there something you needed Youou?" Yuui's heart nearly flew out of his chest at the mans shocked expression. He had only seen it once before and it had given way to a silent anger that 

lasted for days. Though, despite the compromising scene Yuui couldn't help but want to kiss his lover senseless for his unknown rescue. 

"His royal highness, your father, request your presence immediately in his private study." 

"Ah, understood. I'm terribly sorry My Lady but I must be excused. When I return I wish to retire to my bed. Perhaps we should wait for the appropriate time after all?" 

Alexandra blushed furiously before nodding and rushing out of the room and clear down the hall. Youou watched her leave before closing the door behind him. 

"What was that about?" His impassive facade almost made Yuui cringe for the umpteenth time that night. But he was too drained to be afraid of consequences. "She snuck into my room and made a proposal that was to dangerous to refuse outright in fear of suspicion. You've saved me once again Sir Youou." Yuui threw his arms around the man and allowed him to carry him to bed. 

"There was no message was there?" 

"I would hope not, else my head would be hanging from the front entrance with all the other common thieves." 

"No I think not, I would never allow them to tar and hang such a gorgeous head in front of this castle... I'd never allow them to maim any part of you." Yuui straddled the man's waist and watched as a smile turn smirk played across his sensual lips. 

"I love you," he whispered before capturing the raven's lips. God help him! Because he'd rather die then give up what he had here. In fact he probably would die if Youou were ever forcefully removed from his side...he was his life after all. 

* * *

(Present) 

"I want to know exactly what went on here so I guess the best thing to look for is a record room. I'm sure they kept a log of deaths. Time, place, circumstances..." 

"You won't find any. We've checked before, there's nothing left. We think that it might have been destroyed in a siege that took place somewhere around the 16th century." 

Fai watched with contemplative eyes as his son played with their dog a good few yards ahead of them. Close enough to see but far enough not to hear the conversation taking place. 

Fai, Yuki, and Aki had been treated to a delicious breakfast after their quick showers and oral routines in the newly installed bathrooms. Kurogane sure could cook. It was a welcomed treat after such an abrupt awakening. 

(Flashback) 

**(Que music: Chairman's waltz) **

_Fai awoke to the sounds of rustling cloth and shuffled footsteps. "Master Yuui it's time for your morning rendezvous with the nobles. Please awake from your slumber." _

_Fai stretched his arms out trying to chase the sleep from his haze covered mind. "It's to early to get up..." _

_"**Gggrrr..roooff...roof...ggrr**" Fai's eyes immediately traveled to his four legged companion, the sleep being startled right out of him. Aki, although they may have treated him like a house pet, was a highly trained guard dog, as young as he was. _

_The dog stood erect with his hind legs slightly apart and his forelegs lower than the back, as if he were ready to pounce. His hackles rose as he barked and growled his head off at the woman intruder by the window. Aki was a really friendly dog unless he or his family was being threatened. _

_The now coherent blonde looked at the woman as she made her way to the door. There was something strange about her...something bone chillingly wrong but Fai could tell what it was. _

_"Aki-chan don't bark at the maid you'll scare her you silly pooch." Fai pulled the dog to him only to lye him across his lap. But surprisingly the dog refused to cooperate, it was the first time he had ever acted so hostile. _

_He looked at the maid who stopped at the door and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that, he normally isn't like this. By the way my name is Fai not Yu..." before he finished his sentence, the maid bowed her head and left though the now open door. When had it been opened? Fai never heard her come in and those were pretty damn squeaky not to notice. _

_As soon as she left, the dog dropped where he stood and started to whimper. _

(End flashback) 

"Hmm I guess I'll just have one last look then. You sure do have some weird maid service here Kuro-wanwan." Fai stretched his arms over his head trying to work the kinks out, his smile morphed into something akin to troubled. 

"She came into our room and said some pretty weird stuff...she sounded kinda French to me. Aki-chan went all nuts when she entered." Fai nodded as if verifying the information to him self. 

Kurogane looked at him with the typical '_what the hell are you on?'_ look and shook his head in a dismissing matter. "...We don't have maids here. We're only the only ones for miles around." 

"Don't be silly Kuro- chu of course you have maids here! I didn't dream her. She even called me a weird name...ano...Yuui, I think it was..." Fai was exploring every inch of the hall with his eyes, as they discussed this morning." He felt rather than heard Kurogane stop. 

"Kuro-min what's the matter?" The worried tone dominated his normally cheerful voice. 

"Yuui? He's a historical Prince from the French Regime from the 16th century..." Kurogane looked at the startled man before him with wide disbelieving eyes. 

"That joke must have been a hard one to pull off." Fai attempted to lighten the mood by nudging the man with his elbow. 

"We don't have any maids here, but Yuui did...Yuui had several." 

"I must have been dreaming then." Fai refused to accept the facts. The possibility of Akihiro being scared never even crossed his mind. 

"So how did you know that name?" Kurogane didn't wait for an answer as they entered the grand hall. The history lesson Fai wanted wasn't one he could give but what he did know he would share. 

"This place is haunted by the ghost of a carpenter who had an affair with the resident Princess at the time. When the King found out he ordered his advisor to get rid of him. So the advisor called the carpenter over in the pretenses of fixing something. After his job was over the man was invited to stay for dinner in order to award his efforts. The advisor got him drunk with wine, and when he finally fell asleep, he used his own hammer and chisel to remove his head. When he was finished he dragged his body up the stairs and left it outside the princess's room in warning. The head was tarred and hung out by the entrance gates. On occasion you can hear the thumping of the body being dragged up the stairs." Kurogane kept his eyes on Yuki at all times. He didn't want to encourage what might have been an over active imagination. 

"Poor guy! Don't worry Kuro- wanta, _I would never allow them to tar and hang such a gorgeous head in front of this castle._" Fai assured the man, just incase he feared for his own. He paused mid-step and screwed his face up in confusion for a second before he grinned. He didn't know where the _hell _that came from but it felt right saying it. 

"Hn" Kurogane grinned as he led their little party down the hall to the Royal Pavilion, a large dome structured room. 

"In this room Lady Lucina, attempted to have her child removed forcefully after an unwanted pregnancy. She was having an affair and couldn't afford to be caught. A man they called the butcher preformed the procedures in secrecy. He unfortunately miscalculated a cut and the woman ended up bleeding to death. But before she died they buried her alive in the floor. Her body was exhumed and examined before being placed back in its original grave. She still wanders these parts screaming in agony on some nights when it's dreary enough." Kurogane was a surprisingly good story teller. It was almost as good as he cooked! 

Fai couldn't help but wonder what other sorts of talents the man had. He wanted to know everything about the man he felt so drawn to. Never in any of his previous relationships had he ever felt the need to be glued to someone's side through every waking moment of the day. It was a little unsettling to be honest, but his fear didn't deter the emotion in the least bit. 

"Your stories are most entertaining Kuro-muu, It reminds me of the stuff I use to hear as a kid." Fai clapped his hands together like an over zealous child. 

"You wanted the gory history lessons I'm just telling you what I learnt and what I've experienced." The man shrugged nonchalantly. 

"And after all of that you didn't leave yet?" Fai was smirking knowingly to himself. 

"They don't bother me so long as I don't mess with them. As far as I see it you're going to end up like them one day, so what the hell's to be scared of?" 

"Agreed, but why be scared of something that's not even there?" 

"Tou-chan! Tou-chan come play with me!" Yuki tugged mercilessly on the blondes hand interrupting their conversation. He turned to his '_giant'_ companion and looked at him with large blue eyes. 

"Ku..Kur...Kuro...hurmph!" The little boy sighed out in frustration at himself for not being able to pronounce the name with his lisps he had yet to outgrow. 

He screwed his face up in hard concentration trying to figure out how to rectify the situation. "Can I call you Tou-san, please?" 

That really threw Fai for a loop he stared in disbelief at his son. Strange as it was, it didn't bother him that Yuki wanted to accept someone else as a parental figure... He just couldn't understand what about this man was so special. Yuki had shied away from _everyone_ else, but ran to this man whom he didn't even know. 

Kurogane looked to Fai to gauge his reaction with a stern look in his eye Fai thought that if he looked hard enough, it almost looked pleading. Poor Yuki just stood, there thinking he done something wrong so he opened his mouth to apologize. 

"I've got no problems with that." Fai's genuine smile relaxed Kurogane almost immediately. He crouched down to the child's level and ruffled his hair. "Sure Seiryuu, sounds good to me." 

Yuki beamed so brightly he could've put the sun to shame, as he threw his arms around his new _Tou- san's_ neck. 

"Thank you!" When Kurogane stood once again, he found himself being pulled along with Fai, by a munchkin practically a fourth of his size. 

Fai grinned and winked at him, "Welcome to the family Kuro- chan!" 

Kurogane could only sputter indignantly at his new pet name. 

----------------------- 

Fai lay awake that night unable to sleep. So much had happened that day, '_too much to make heads or tails out of all at once anyway.'_ Fai couldn't put his finger on it, but for some reason or another he had this insane urge to just up and leave this place. His gut instinct was telling him to leave and take his precious babies with him. Fai sighed as he rolled over once again unable to get comfortable. He silently rose from the bed, checked over Yuki and Aki to make sure they were still sound asleep, and made his way to the bathroom just across the hall. He hoped washing his face and relieving himself would help sleep come to him. 

-------------------------- 

**(Que music: chairman's waltz) **

Yuki stirred as he felt the absents of body heat next to him. He instinctively reached his tiny arms for his father to find nothing. 

"..mmhh...Tou- ch..an?" he groggily asked without opening his eyes. When he received no response he whined and squirmed hoping that would get his father to react. Fai hated when Yuki cried, it made him so sad. 

Yuki felt the bed dip and breathed a sigh of relief, but when bony fingers cold as death carded through his fluffy soft hair he stiffened straight as a cardboard. He dare not open his eyes in fear of who was there. Yuki was afraid of contact with other people. He only loved his Tou-chan, and now Tou-san. He squeezed his shut and prayed for them to go away. "Ooottou-chan?" 

When the caress refused to stop he opened his rather large blue eyes and stopped breathing...A woman missing half her face stared back at him. "..._M-my p-poor baabbyy..." _she moaned. Akihiro was up in a heartbeat as he leapt at the maniacal looking woman wither eyes gouged out. 

Yuki took in a deep breath and... 

------------------------- 

Fai finished with his business before washing his hands and from there his face. He blinked blearily at his reflection and noticed something odd. He squinted at the mirror moving his face closer to get a better look..._was his irises turning black? _

"OOOTTTOOOUUUSSSAAANNNNNNN!" 

"OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!" 

Fai's heart skipped a beat as he heard the twin cries of his precious babies. Without thinking he was running clear across the hall and into their shared room. He rushed straight to his bed where Yuki lay stiff with tears running down his face. "Musuko? Whats the matter? Hey shhh love it's okay I'm right here..." As Fai picked Yuki up he felt a frigid breeze blow right past him and out the door, closing it in the process. 

Akihiro was cowering on the opposite side of the room where he had landed. His wolf like howls had died down and now the only thing he did was sit there unresponsively. 

Fai laid Yuki down and called out to Akihiro who took some coercing to get moving towards the bed. When Aki finally mounted the bed, Fai spread the covers across all three of them. The shivering boy clung to his father and managed to pull him across most of his body. Fai was worried that he'd squish him but managed to maneuver himself into a comfortable position. "What's the matter baby? Are you okay? 

"She said that! She called me her ba-ba-baby! Tou-Tou -chan she t-tri-ried to take me away!" he sobbed uncontrollably. 

"No no it's okay, it was just a nightmare sweetie, nobodies ever going to take you away from me. You hear me? No one will _ever_ take you from me, _never_!" He pressed a harsh kiss to his temple and wiped away his tears. "Let's get some sleep now I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning love." Yuki nodded but refused to close his eyes. Even sandwiched between the bed and his father with Akihiro next to him, he was still scared. His Tou-chan didn't believe him! What was he gonna do? Fai hummed as he caressed his babies head. Yuki burrowed deeper into the warmth and let the tune wash over him as his father began to sing quietly 

_"Baby mine, don't you cry.  
Baby mine, dry your eyes.  
Rest your head close to my heart,  
never to part,  
baby of mine." _

Yuki love this song! It was his, and _only_ his. His Tou-chan made it just for him, so he loved it with all the might his little heart could manage.

_"Little one when you play,  
don't you mind what they say.  
Let those eyes sparkle and shine,  
never a tear,  
baby of mine."_

Fai felt his little boy relax so he reached his had over and began petting Akihiro as well.

_"If they knew sweet little you  
they'd end up loving you two.  
All of those people who scold you  
what they'd give just for the right to hold you."_

He felt or rather heard both of them nod off but he continued to sing until he could feel his own eyes drooping.

_"From your head down to your toes,  
you're not much, goodness knows.  
But you're so precious to me,  
sweet as can be,  
baby of mine..."_

* * *

(16th century past...) 

"Youou please do not leave yet." Yuui snuggled closer into the warm inviting unclothed chest. 

"But I must, it is daybreak after all, someone will seek me out eventually." Youou's sleep ridden voice caressed his neck ever so gently. 

"mm.. alright ..if you must." Yuui lifted his head to gaze into loving red eyes. Youou wordlessly pulled him down into a kiss. It was official, after five months of secret meetings and reckless behavior, the Captain had fallen head over heels in love with the young prince. Although he still could not properly declare his love, he knew that Yuui was more than aware of it. 

Today was a day that he could not afford to leave behind bad impressions. The King had arranged a meeting for a prospective wife. And as much as he dreaded it, it could not be helped. He had stalled for as long as possible, but now was the time to tell his lover of their misfortune. 

"Come now, whatever is the matter love?" Yuui used the pad of his thumb to smooth out the crease between his brows. 

Youou was a straight forward person so he would not beat around the bush. "I am to meet with a prospective bride today. I am told by your father that she is a perfect match and will be an asset to the French court." His face twisted into another frown as he watched his love's reaction. 

"Absolutely not! I will not allow it!" He growled out in a most un-princely manner. 

"I would like to see you deny your father." Despite his predicament he couldn't help but smirk. His prince could be so utterly adorable at times. 

"What time is she to arrive?" Yuui huffed in defeat. 

"At twelve noon sharp." 

Yuui's nefarious little grin should have had the Captain worried, instead he was intrigued. Just what was running through the man's head had yet to be seen. 

------------------------ 

Youou watched with an impassive face as the carriage headed out in the same manner it had arrived. After a slew of unfortunate events the Lady had huffed out in a rage. No matter how in love she had fallen with Youou's status and handsome countenance, she simply couldn't stand for the humiliation she had gone through in the brief few hours she had been present for. 

Youou couldn't really say he was sorry to watch her leave. He turned his back on the disappearing carriage and reported the failed attempt to the king. His royal majesty was sorry to hear of the mishap but he wasted no time in assuring Youou that another would be sought out soon enough. 

The raven haired man refused to groan in annoyance. It was most disrespectful and could very well coast him his tongue. 

----------------------------- 

"So exactly how did you pull that all off your majesty?" Youou had a small blonde pinned to a wall near the servant's quarters. 

"I am a master of many talents Sir Youou...and ridding myself of an unwanted nuisance just so happens to be my specialty. 

"Is that so?" Youou tilted his head in mock question. 

"That it is..." Yuui smirked before capturing those laughing lips before him. 

"I will never let you go, remember those words well my dear..." 

It was simply too bad neither of them had noticed the woman who had followed them...The woman who now had rage and jealousy burning within the depths of her eyes. 

_'Prince Yuui belongs to me!'_

* * *

Fai awoke in a mess of sheets as he'd done so many times before. He noticed a light weight on top of his chest and realized that once again Yuki ended up sprawled across him. It was an endearing sight that Fai had to smile at. He thought back to the dream he had and let out a frustrated sigh. 

For the past two weeks he'd been having these weird dreams involving Kurogane...only it wasn't him and Fai wasn't exactly Fai either. The whole thing confused him and he couldn't stand it. He wanted to know what it all meant but between his job and the growing attraction he felt towards the caretaker, it was becoming increasingly hard to bring it up. And to top it all off weird things seemed to happen on a daily basis. Fai of course ignored it and brushed it off by trying to explain it logically, but Yuki was another matter entirely. He only ever seemed to be happy when he was around his _Tou-san _and it was starting to bother the blonde. He didn't sleep properly anymore either. Even Ashura's daily visits seem to cheer him up infinitely more than Fai. 

As if sensing his fathers troubled thoughts Yuki stirred awake and rubbed at his eye sleepily before yawing loudly and stretching. He settled back into his comfortable spot on top of his father and wrapped his small arms around the man's torso. 

"I love you Tou-chan..." he whispered sleepily as Fai smiled at him. 

"I love you even more Yu-chan" 

"No you can't!" Yuki said suddenly wide awake. Bolting into an upright position, he straddled his father's stomach. 

"And why not?" Fai pouted and childishly crossed his arms to show his disagreement. 

"'Cause I love you this much!" Yuki stretched his arms as far apart as his width wise arm span would let him. 

"Oh yeah well I love you this much!" Fai sat up just as fast stretching his arms in the same manner. Then in a surprise attack he grabbed his chibi into a bear hug before rolling him over. 

"TICKLE ATTACK!" 

"Wwaaahhh Tou-chan hahaha n-no-hha sto-stop plea-haha-please hahaha!" Yuki squealed as he tried to squirm out of his fathers grasp. 

When he was properly red in the face Fai let up and hoisted his son on his shoulders. 

"Common Chibi lets go brush our teeths and shower before we bother your Tou-san." 

"HAI!" The little boy mock saluted with his free hand that wasn't wrapped around his fathers head. His facial expression was so serious it made both blondes burst out laughing. 

-------- 

They were working once again and like everyday for the past three weeks Fai, Yuki, and Akihiro went around taking pictures while awaiting Kurogane to join them after he was finished checking on everything. 

"Alright you guys I'll be in that room right over there, I don't want you guys to move from here, if you need me come and get me okay?" 

They were finally on the third floor. The first two floors and the dungeons had all been completely photographed and all that was left was a few rooms on the third floor and the last tower. It looked like Fai would be finished early. But instead of being happy about it he felt a heavy weight in his chest. When he was finished he would have to leave Kurogane...and he had no idea how to prolong their time together. He didn't want to leave him, and if his dreams were anything to go by then he was starting to get a vague feeling why. 

Fai watch for a moment as the two played a game of catch in front of the grand entrance staircase. He turned and headed towards the room. If he remembered correctly then this was the princess's room. He began his meticulous work lost in thought. 

**_"Thump...thump...thump" _**

"Musuko, don't go down the stairs!" Fai hollered as he continued to open the doors to her wood crafted dresser to get a picture of the workmanship. 

**_"...Thump... _**

**_...thump... _**

**_...thump..." _**

The noise came again and Fai rolled his eyes he closed the door to the dresser. 

"Seiryuu Yuki Fluorite I'm not going to say it again young man!" 

**_"...THUMP... _**

**_... THUMP... _**

**_... THUMP..." _**

The sound shook his core. The more he thought about it the more he realized that the noise wasn't the gentle pitter patter of a child's feet but the more it sounded like something being _dragged_ up the stairs. 

_'Oh no...'_

Fai dropped his camera not even noticing it shatter upon impact as he ran out the room. 

"Yuki? Come on it's time to go!" Fai noticed with dread that Yuki wasn't there. He tried to calm his furiously palpitating heart as he looked around. 

"SEIRYUU, AKIHITO, COME HERE THIS INSTANT!" Fai shouted barely able to contain the tremble in his voice. 

As a cold breeze rushed past him for the second time during his stay, Fai could only hold his breath as he began to tremble. _'There's no such thing as ghost...They're not real...'_ Fai chanted over and over in his head. 

When a hand clamped down on his shoulder Fai nearly jumped out of his skin. 

"You okay? You look...pale." 

Fai turned around to greet the worried face of Kurogane, and to his great relief, Yuki. 

"Oh thank god! Wait, where is Aki- chan?" 

The dog sat obediently by Kurogane's foot when Fai looked down. "Didn't I tell you two not to move?" 

"But...but something was coming up the stairs so we ran away to hide!" 

"Wasn't that you coming up the stairs Kuro- pyon?" If Fai was pale before he looked like a bleached white sheet now. 

"No, sorry I came up thought the west wing." 

"I really wish you wouldn't do that." Fai said remembering the mysterious maid he'd never seen again. 

Fai clung to the man's arm tightly as he led him to the room with his now destroyed camera. 

"Great... now I'll have to go and get my spare." He frowned as he picked up the ruined pieces of digital equipment. The day just kept getting better and better. 

---------------------------------------- 

Fai thanked Kami-sama that his camera was digital and had a memory chip. He didn't want to enter that room anymore for today if he could help it. He had already retrieved the spare camera and the group was making the last stop for the day. 

Yuki and Aki-chan were playing in front of them again only this time they stayed a lot closer to the adults. Fai and Kurogane hung back to converse as usual, and the blonde had practically wrapped himself around Kurogane's arm. The red eyed man showed no signs of discomfort. 

**(Que music: Naruto Response of the souls) **

"So I guess this is your last room?" 

"Yeah..." Fai muttered dejectedly. 

"What are you gonna do after this?" Kurogane asked eying him quizzically. 

Before Fai could think of a proper answer, Yuki ran up to him and clung to his leg. It was then he noticed they had finally ascended the stairs to one of the higher towers. 

"Tou-chan, please, I don't like it here, let's go!" Yuki wouldn't look at his father, instead he stared at a spot near what Fai assumed was the closet. His voice was trembling with fear and it alarmed Fai a great deal. He had never exposed the child to horror flicks, or read him monster stories. So Yuki _couldn't_ have an over active imagination. He'd never heard such fear come from his baby. 

"**GRRR...ROOOFF...ROOOOFF**" Aki was standing in a manner similar to that morning as he growled and barked at the spot near the closet. The sound was different though. His puppy sounded deeper and gruffer as if the sound were reverberating from deep within the cavity of his chest. It almost sounded possessed. 

"Alright you two enough of that, we'll leave m'kay?" He spoke gently as he picked Yuki up. The boy wouldn't remove his eyes from the door, and for some weird reason Kurogane placed himself directly in back of Fai blocking Yuki's line of vision. Fai could feel the comforting warmth radiate off the man as he stood ridiculously close to him. He had Akihiro still growling over his shoulder, in one hand and he used his other to gently guide Fai to the stairwell. 

"Let's get out of here." He said relatively calm but glanced over his shoulder every so often. 

"What's the matter with all of you? Maybe the high altitude's getting to you guys. I know what we need is some fresh air! Let's get out of this dingy old depressing place!" Kurogane knew what he was doing and shook his head in exasperation. Down playing the event was _not_ going to make it go away. 

"Whatever you say you weirdo photographer." Kurogane muttered putting the dog down as they reached the outside. He led them down the stairs, once at the bottom he leant against the banister and watched the two little ones run around all but forgetting their earlier discomfort. 

"Alrighty mister spill, what's the story behind _that _place?" 

"There were two young princes, Prince William was about eight and Prince Charles was around eleven, when their father King Edward, passed away. They were two young to take the throne so the Kings younger brother Stephen ascended the throne until Prince Charles was old enough to clam his rightful place. Unfortunately, like all rulers in power, he grew greedy and didn't want to hand over the throne. He locked the boys in the tower and sealed off the entrance. They eventually starved to death. The boys were declared runaways by King Stephen, and until recently their corpse remained sealed in that room. The kids like to play in that room sometimes." 

"How horrible! How did you guys ever manage to find the sealed door?" Fai's fascination was amusing to watch. 

"It was an accident. They stumbled across it during their first attempt of renovation. That was the reason the deal fell though with the contractor the first time. It scared the shit outta him when he found the bones dressed in nightgowns. 

"Creepy!" Fai's arms wrapped around his torso as he shuttered, a little too exaggerated for it to be natural. 

"So I'm guessing Yu-chan and Aki-chan sensed them or something?" Fai really didn't want the answer to that one. It would be hard convincing his son they didn't exist if he himself started believing in them. 

"No..." Fai almost let out a sigh of relief when... 

"...they saw them..." Kurogane's no nonsense tone kept Fai from trying to prove him wrong. 

"When we first got here, Yuki said a woman was trying to take him away from me. I didn't know what to think. He's never been exposed to horror themed...anything. I thought it was a nightmare but..." 

"Don't think too much on it, what's passed has passed." Kurogane looped one arm around the blonde's waist and pulled him closer so Fai could snuggle up. It was moments like these that Fai could swear he was in love. It was also moments like these that reminded him about his nightly dreams. 

"This Castle sure does have a lot of interesting stories." 

"Yeah... Come on lets go get lunch." Kurogane stood and stretched. 

"Seiryuu, Akihiro, lunch." That was all that that need to be said in order to get those two to come running. 

On their way to the kitchen Fai found himself inspecting every inch of the place much like he'd done when they'd first arrived. A burnt tapestry caught his eye and he had to wonder if it had always been there. 

"That's the only thing that remains from King Henry the VI's reign. There was a siege that took place and they destroyed everything. Hundreds of Soldiers fought and lost their lives here. It was during that time that Prince Yuui lost his life." Fai heard the edge in the man's voice and for an instant Fai could recall the details of the ruined tapestry. 

Which completely didn't make sense considering how old the thing was and what era Fai was born in. 

"_Thank the lord, I have always hated that thing, it was hideous!" _

"What did you just say?" Kurogane blinked, his face twisted in shock. 

"Huh? Oh, I said the thing was ugly..." It was then Fai realized his error. Sure this tapestry was burnt but he had a feeling he wasn't' referring to the burnt state it was in. 

"That is _not_ what you just said." Kurogane put an emphasis on the word not to get his point across. 

"Yes it is!" Fai huffed as he places his clenched fist on his hips. 

"Hehe... Tou-chan's talking funny again." Yuki tried to muffle his giggling behind interlocking fingers. 

Kurogane's delicate brow rose about a half an inch as he gave man a _'and you were saying...'_ kinda look. 

"What are you talking about Yu-chan?" 

"You talk funny in your sleep. I don't understand it sometimes." 

Fai's eyes were as large as saucers. "Lunch...lunch would be nice he muttered while stalking towards the kitchen lost in thought. 

Kurogane shrugged before picking the child up and resting him on one shoulder. 

Yuki couldn't contain his laughter this time, "Look Tou-san, I'm a giant too now!" 

"Yeah, my _little_ giant maybe," Kurogane grinned as Aki trailed along happily behind. 

Fai was busy getting ready for bed, and like always he spoke to Yuki about his day. 

"...and then he said... _my little giant maybe!_" Yuki flailed his arms trying to mimic the voice from earlier and failing horribly at it. 

"Ne, Tou- chan do you think I'll grow up as tall as Tou- san one day?" he asked with hope filled big round eyes. 

Fai sweetdropped, he didn't really know how to explain that since Kurogane was not his _biological_ father it most likely wouldn't happen. 

"I dunno chibi... you might just get stuck that height for the rest of your life..." Fai was never good at pulling a straight face, so he ended up laughing and the pouting boy who had his arms crossed in an indignant manner. 

"Alright, alright already, maybe." Fai poked his cute nose, and like an on switch, the boy lit up with a smile. 

"Really?" 

"_Maybe." _

Yuki readily jumped into bed and waited for his father to cuddle him like he did every night. When he didn't get in right away, Yuki got worried. "Tou- chan aren't you coming to bed?" 

"In a minute Musuko, I was so busy brushing your sparkly white teeth, I forgot to brush my own! I'll be right back I promise. I'll leave both doors open so if you get scared, just yell, and I'll be right here before you know it." Fai winked and planted a kiss to the wary boy's forehead. 

"M'kay" Yuki finally settled down and closed his eyes. Fai quickly left the room with the sole intent of coming back right away. 

------------------- 

**(Que Music: Enya, Requiem for a dream) **

Yuki shifted around nervously, his Tou-chan was taking awfully long. When the air around him turned freezing Yuki started to tremble out of fear. 

"T-tou- chan?" he whispered. 

"T-tou- chan I'm scared!" He tried to yell but for some reason he couldn't raise his voice. Aki was unresponsive as he lay there dead to the world. Something was very wrong with his puppy and the child couldn't understand what. 

"Help!" This time his voice wouldn't come out at all. When he opened is eyes he could feel the trembling get worse, and tears started pouring out. 

He opened his mouth and... 

---------------------------- 

Fai hummed as he entered the room and locked the door behind him. 

"Yu-chan are you asleep?" No response could be heard. 

Fai vaguely rubbed his arm before deciding to turn the heat up, it was freezing in there. He clambered into bed and started talking in hushed tones like he always did. "Since work is all done tomorrow we can do what ever you want, and then after that...well, we'll see where we go from there." 

Fai wrapped his arms around his son and noticed immediately how cold he was, something was very, _very wrong. _He wasn't expecting an answer, in fact he rather wish he didn't get one. 

_"Will you take us to the forest to play tomorrow Father?" _

There were several things fundamentally wrong with that sentence. _One_, his son was missing his lisps. _Two_, he called him _father._ _Three,_ his slight Japanese accent was replaced by a crisp clear English one... no, make that two. And _four,_ since when in frigs name did his son refer to himself as _'us'_! 

He knew right away what was going on and fought the urge to pass out. He took a shaky breath and braced himself 

"William...? Charles...?" 

_"... Clever fellow is he not?"_ Fai got the impression they were not speaking _to_ him but rather _about_ him. 

In a flash, he was straddling the tiny frame pinning his arms to his side forcefully restraining him...them. 

"**Get... out... of... my... son**..." he growled threateningly putting an emphasis on every word. 

"_Does he not fancy us anymore_?" the voices mocked with a wicked grin on the once angelic face. 

"**GET OUT OF MY BABY**!" he shook the small frame frantically, only receiving evil laughter for his fear and anger. 

"HAHAHAHAHAH" 

"**SO HELP ME GOD, IF YOU DO NOT RELEASE MY CHILD, I WILL DAMN YOU TO THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF HELL**!" Fai roared in an accent not his own, but clearly different from the ones of his possessed son. 

The laughing abruptly stopped and Yuki's body went stiff before it went limp as the boy lay there unconscious. 

Fai shook his limp form as tears welled in his eyes. "Yuki? Yuki? Musuko please, _please_ be okay!" he prayed. 

"T-tou-chan?" the small voice was groggy, but it was clearly his sons. 

"I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry I should have never left you on your own." Fai was all over him the minute his eyes cracked open. He smothered him in hugs and kisses but the tears would not stop. 

"I don't like it here anymore Tou- chan." Yuki clung to his father as if his life depended on it. 

"Okay, we'll leave I promise... we'll leave." 

Aki finally shook himself awake as if he were in a long deep slumber. Without thinking Fai grabbed Yuki in the bundle of blankets and made sure Aki was following as he ran down the hall to the only safe haven he knew. 

He practically banged the door down by the time Kurogane even opened the door. 

"Fai...wha...?" 

Before he could ask anything Fai flew into his unsuspecting arms, child and all. Kurogane felt his violent trimmers and the wetness against his bare chest. 

He wrapped his arms around the two and tried again. 

"What's wrong?" he soothed his hands down the trembling back. 

"M-my Baby, they tried t-to take m-my baby!" Fai cried hysterically. 

"Sshh you're safe here...who tried to take Seiryuu?" 

"I w-want to leave! I want to l-leave now!" he answered completely ignoring the question in his frazzled state of mind. 

"Hey its okay, take a breath and try to explain." 

"The boys in the tower don't like me." Yuki's faint whisper was all the answer Kurogane needed to put two and two together. He locked the door behind Akihiro and led them to his bed. He took Yuki from Fai and placed him in the middle of the bed. He then tucked Fai in the corner of the bed that was farthest from the door. Aki curled up at the bottom of their feats. When Fai was pulled into an embrace by those blessed long arms, he allowed himself to relax for what seemed like he first time in a long time. He threw his own arms across Yuki and onto Kurogane. Yuki had never felt safer in his life. 

"Sleep, we'll figure something out in the morning. I'll watch over you guys for now... so just sleep." Fai stretched across the bed and placed a light kiss on Kurogane's lips, unmindful of their now sleeping baby, he was exhausted after his ordeal. 

No words were exchanged, but Kurogane kissed his forehead before laying him down again. Fai was fitfully asleep within minutes. The blonde could no longer deny the existence of ghost. 

* * *

(16th century past...) 

"Your highness, a moment please?" Lady Alexandra called out. 

Prince Yuui resisted the urge to cringe while stilling for the obnoxious princess to catch-up. He was seriously contemplating an annulment of their engagement. It should have been a crime to stalk a person such as she did. Every waking moment of the day, no matter where he hid, she somehow managed to find him. There was never any proper excuse to flee from her side either. This particular pattern had been playing out for the better part of the past two months. It was almost as if she were putting him on a leash. 

This aggravated him beyond belief, she was dominating all his free time and that only left him with night's to see his beloved. He had a sneaking suspicion that she was doing it on purpose to. 

"How can I be of service Milady?" Yuui slightly inclined his head forward to hide his gritted teeth. 

"Well, I was wondering if you had considered my proposal as yet. I believe a significant amount of time has passed and we are to be wedded soon, so..." 

"**Enough! **Show some dignity will you? How highly could I possibly think of a wife who has the audacity to suggest such, sacrilegious wanton desires? You will do well to remember your place... by my side, not in front of me." 

"You're not thinking straight love. You've had a very stressful day..." She tried again. 

"Hear this and know it well, I will no longer allow your free reign of my courts. You are too bold in your assumption that I would allow a woman such as yourself to lead my people." 

Alexandra bristled where she stood. "We shall see how far your foreign politics take you in England. You cannot afford to forsake ties to our country. We shall see who is victorious in this game you insist on playing." 

"_Avec plasir_ (with pleasure)" He smirked before bowing. To bad she never learnt French. If this was all it took to rid him self of the problem he would have lost his temper weeks ago. 

He renewed his venture to his room with a bounce in his step. He couldn't wait to share his wondrous news. 

Yuui found him self in a familiar position as he laid curled in his broody, yet romantic Knight's arms. 

Finally he didn't have to worry about that she demon! As he lay there basking in his glorious afterglow, Yuui heard possibly the most horrendous sound he would ever live to hear. A terrible bell like sound suddenly rung out, reverberating through the air. 

Youou was up in a heartbeat stumbling around for his clothes. 

"What is it love? What on earth is going on?" Yuui had a nauseating feeling churning within his gut as he also dressed within record time. 

"Those bells signal a raid on the castle. And judging from the smoke in the air this is no small scale attack." Youou quickly strapped his belt and sheathed longsword to his hip as he looked out the window. 

"Stay here while I find out what is going on." The captain's trek to the door was interrupted by the blonde who beat him to it. 

"I think not, I will go with you where it is _safe_. I refused to be ambushed because you are trying to protect me. And incase you have forgotten, you taught me the proper instruction for swordplay since I was old enough to walk." Yuui pulled him in for a quick kiss stealing any argument he may have had. 

"Fine but do not leave my side." Youou warned. 

"Yes Sir!" Yuui saluted before opening the door. When they stepped out of the door it was like stepping into a whole other world. 

People were rushing back and forth adorning heavy armor. Everyone was to busy panicking to notice the Captain walk out of the Prince's private chambers. Youou grabbed the nearest soldier and questioned him. 

"What is going on here?" 

"The castle is under siege your grace! They ambushed us only moments ago but already they have half the Castle under their control. We are trying to evacuate all inhabitants." 

As if noticing Yuui for the first time the solider hurriedly bowed his head. "Prince Yuui you must come with me, all Royal personal must be brought to safety first!" 

Before Yuui could get a word in another platoon burst through the corridor. 

"Captain Yuuou! Thank heavens! You must come at once, King Lothair is in the other half of the Castle, and we must rescue him at once! The leader of the platoon wheezed out between pants of breath. They must of ran a long way he quickly assessed. 

"Lead the way." 

Without further instructions the group took off again without paying the captain any mind. 

"I'm comm..." Yuui began before being cut off. 

"...No it's too dangerous." Youou didn't even look at the prince as he watched the platoon fade in the distance. Instead he turned to the soldier still awaiting commands. 

"You, go scout ahead and make sure all is well before you lead his highness anywhere. Is that understood?" His voice was powerful and commanding, everything an awe inspiring officer should have. 

"Right away Captain," with a quick salute, the nameless soldier was gone leaving the two alone in the halls. 

"Please don't go, come with me!" Yuui pleaded desperately. 

"I have to save your father it is my duty ..." 

"You will come back to me won't you?" 

"I promise I will find you..." he trailed off. 

"...and then I shalltake you away from here." Youou added in afterthought. 

"I love you Youou." They shared a passionate kiss that was sweeter than life itself. 

"I..." _love you too... _

Before the words could be said a desperate voice cut though their endearing moment. 

"Captain we must make haste!" 

"Be careful your majesty," were the last words Yuui heard before he was dragged away by the nameless soldier. 

"There are boats set up in the moat to get you across your highness, once on the other side a carriage awaits you." The man had led Yuui through a servant's entrance and out the back. When Yuui arrived at the boats his heart stopped for a moment before it gave a painful thud. 

"Father we were told you were in enemy territory..." 

"No matter I am safe now, we must leave at once." The king's voice was urgent but his expression was lax. It looked very wrong. 

Yuui didn't budge. "Sir Youou, I have to getSir Youou." He choked out instead. Before he knew it he was being manhandled into the boat as it took off from shore. 

"Do you think I could just sit back and watch your soul be damned due to your foolhardy sins? Fear not my son I have taken every precaution to save your soul and rid you of your temptations. The devil will die tonight." 

'Youou...' Fai went cold as realization dawned on him. He tried to jump from the row boat but the guards restrained him. "NNNNOOOOO!" his agonizing cry rang throughout the heavens. 

"You...you set this up...This was all a trap..." he whispered in disbelief. 

"Yes and no, you should be grateful to your fiancé. She loves you dearly. Alexandra came to me at once when she discovered your shameful affair. And once we caught wind of the ambush, it was easy giving him a _noble _death. This way, he may die with honor and be spared the humiliation of a public hanging." 

Yuui couldn't stop crying. He gathered his bearings and went slack in their grasp. When they though him calm enough, they released him. 

To their horror, the prince lept from the boat and swam bake to shore. If Yuui couldn't have him in life, he would have him in death. His determination spurred him forward. 

------------------------- 

"Where is the king?" Youou had fought long and hard to reach the other side, loosing men along the way. But when he got there, there was no one there. 

"RIGHT HERE!" Before Youou could move he felt the sword pierce the flesh of his back and exit through his right lung. 

"W-why?" he choked out unable to understand the betrayal. 

"You are the worst of sinners. You will rot in hell!" The man spat on his dying corpse in disgust. 

As his body lay on the ground Youou could only think one thought..._ 'I am sorry love...' _

His vision faded rapidly but in his dying stupor, he could have sworn a blonde angel ran towards him calling out to him. 

"_YOOOOUUUUOOOUUU!" _

------------------------------- 

Prince Yuui dropped to his knees upon reaching his fallen warrior. "No please god no! please..." he let his tears fall as he ran his fingers across the cold skin of his cheeks. Yuui didn't have the strength to move anymore. He kissed Youou on his lips and whispered useless promises over and over again. "You promised...you promised me..." 

Yuui watched as the fire raging in the room grew. He sat there holding his beloved and waited for it to engulf him. 

------------------------------- 

The prince and the Captain perished that night with naught but a single promise binding them together. 

* * *

(Present) 

Fai bolted awake as the sun hit his eyes. He was drenched in sweet and his breathing was heavy... 

He finally understood those dreams. Why he was here...what the unforeseen draw to the castle was...and who was _finally _there once more... 

Red eyes locked with blue and Fai cried out with uncontainable happiness, "YOUOU!" he threw his arms around the man and squeezed as tight as his arms allowed. 

"I found you...your Majesty." Kurogane hugged him back with equal vigor, finally _finally_ getting his prince. 

"How did you know? How long have you had your memories for? When..." Fai was cut off by one mind blowing kiss. His eyes closed of their own accord as he moaned in delight. Kurogane lapped at his bottom lip and received no resistance as Fai eagerly opened his mouth. It had been _centuries_ but the feeling was still as strong as ever. Fai dug his fingers into the thick lush hair and tried his hardest to make the moment last _longer_ than forever. 

When the kiss was broken Kurogane's gaze searched his own for something he was desperate to find. 

"I've always been aware of them, ever since I was a kid I knew I had to find you. And something told me to come back here... that you'd come to find me here. And you did, only you didn't seem to remember a thing...and apparently had moved on with your life." Kurogane was referring to Yuki and guilt instantly flooded him. Not for having his precious child, no, but for his infidelity towards his lover. Of course he didn't know at the time but it still must have hurt him deeply. 

"I'm sorry." He rested his forehead against the taller mans and sighed. 

"Don't be, we've got a real great kid in the end didn't we?" 

"Yeah." 

"I love you." Fai eyes widened as his heart sped up. 

"W-what?" 

"I love you Fai, and I'm sorry it took so long for me to say." Kurogane kissed his brow bone and watched as the most beautiful smile lit up his angels face. 

"I love you too Kurogane." Fai whispered barely able to contain his happiness. 

"Can we be a real family _now_?" came the sleep-ridden voice from the bed. 

Both adults spun around to face Yuki who was rubbing his eye with the fist of his hand adorably. He crawled off the bed and stumbled toward his parents. Kurogane picked him up and tossed him in the air causing him to giggle. 

"Yup, sorry Kiddo your stuck with me." Kurogane half smirked half smiled. Yuki let out his loud whoop of approval as he stretched his hand over to pull his Tou-chan into a group hug. Aki came bounding off the bed moments later and barked happily while rubbing against their legs. Fai laughed while petting his head. 

"Hey guy's I've had enough of this place, let's go home." Fai said still smiling. 

----------------------------------------------- 

The group stood at the airport awaiting Ashura's arrival. Yuki was being held by Fai who was resting in the embrace of his dark haired lover. 

Ashura arrived not to long afterwards but the scene he walked in on was mind boggling. 

"Good morning. I hope you all had a good sleep?" Ashura greeted with a smile on his face. 

"Good enough, I just can't wait to go home!" Fai laughed as he recalled his _more than a little_ strange trip. 

"Aren't you heading back to the castle Suwa- san?" Ashura questioned in good natured curiosity. 

"Nope I quit this morning," 

"Really? If you don't mind me asking, how come?" 

"He's gonna live with us!" Yuki cheered. 

Ashura turned to Fai for verification, and the older blond nodded vigorously. 

He looked the men over closely and noticed something that hadn't been there before. 

"Are those wedding rings!" His shock was justifiable. They had only known each other for what, three weeks? 

"Ashura I'd like to introduce you to my Fiancée." The foreign word rolled right off of his tongue like silk. 

"Don't you think it's a bit too soon to be talking about marriage?" 

"Not at all, I love Kuro-sama!" 

"Me to! Me to! I love Tou-san!" 

"Something tells me I've missed something vitally important here..." 

"Don't hurt your head over it." Kurogane grinned. 

"ALL PASSENGERS TOKOYO JAPAN BOUND WE ARE NOW BOARDING, I REPEAT..." 

"We'll that's us we should get going." Fai pointed out. 

As they were boarding the plane Fai turned to Kurogane and smiled. 

"Guess what I found out Kuro-piiko!" 

"What is it?" 

"I know French!" the blonde laughed as Kurogane softly bopped him on the head. Living with the blonde sure was going to be interesting. 

The end 

* * *

**A.N. **

It was necessary for Kurogane not to be adamant to the relationship at all. You see he knew the whole time that Fai was his lover. Oh and those stories Kurogane told I got them off of Discovery channel programs. They have been tweaked though. 

Well what do you think? Good bad. Please review guys even if it's to say it sucked. Please drop me a line. 


	2. Chapter 2 Doppelganger

**Chapter:** Doppelganger

**Summary:** _Sometimes the greatest evil we have to face is not the devil, But rather ourselves and the demons we unknowingly create….._

**Genre:**Suspense/ Mystery/ Horror/ Romance

**Dedicated to:** Pinkbinder-chan

**AN:** **PLEASE DON'T LET THE SIZEOF THIS FIC SCARE YOU! THINK OF IT AS A STORY WITH NO UPDATE WAITING PERIOD! Just give it a shot. Please? **

_NOTHING IN THIS STORY IS FACTUAL!_ (Um maybe one or two things but don't take my word for it because I have no clue what I'm talking about.)

**For those who are unaccustomed to my writing style** I use music to inspire my work. Please open up a few tabs (or windows) in advance with the music set up. It really _really_ helps to not destroy the mood later.

**Cue music can be found on YouTube! **I highly recommend listening to them while reading. The story was designed with that in mind.

**(Cue Music - Idols - Nathalie - Big Spender)**

**(Cue music- Creepy Music Box)**

**(Cue Music- Nox Arcana Annabel Lee)**

**(Cue Music-****When Darkness Falls - Nox Arcana) **

**Warning: **

The characters are very OOC. The tone of this particular story is not all happy but it's not depressing either. It's pretty well balanced I hope. There is swearing in this one because let's face it, adults curse, a lot. Please don't flame me!

**Pinkbinder-chan** Oh my god here we go again! Pinkbinder-chan this is for you doll I hope it was worth the wait. And I'm sorry if it sucks in advance. I'm rusty…and it took on a life of its own halfway through and grew into this monster of a oneshot.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything but my original plot. I also don't own the song "Big -spender" or any of the other cue music. Don't sue me I'm poor!

**Word List: **

1) Tou-chan (Tou-san) - Is Yuki's cutsey version of saying 'Otousan' or father

2) Chibi- child

3) Musuko- son

4) Oji-chan – (Ojiisan) meaning uncle

* * *

_Sometimes the greatest evil we have to face_

_is not the devil,_

_But rather ourselves_

_and the demons we unknowingly create….._

_-Twlightmystery

* * *

_

'_Pant…pant… gasp….'_

'_Pant…pant… gasp…._'

_Surreal that was the situation…_

'_Pant…pant…gasp…'_

Harsh intakes of breath filled the air as the one responsible for them struggled vainly to keep the erratic noise to a minimum.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this!…_

Another crash resounded through the poorly lit room as the storm of the century raged on beyond the confines of what had now become a glass prison. The urgent need to suppress his heavy breathing and irregular heartbeat was now more prominent than before.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this at a_ll…

A small whimper was heard before it was quickly silenced by frantic hands trying to prevent any other sounds from escaping. The two figures huddled together between the barstools underneath the protection of the granite countertop leading into the kitchen.

* * *

'Pant…pant… gasp….'

Fai woke up gasping, a steady stream of sweat dripping from his forehead now clung to damp blonde locks. A long moment passed in which he simply sat there cradling his head and chasing the remnants of his now blurry nightmare.

The dream gone wrong always played out the same way. And lately it had been increasing in its frequency. Fai could never recall how it started or ended, nor did he understand what occurred.

Once his breathing was under control and the adrenaline rush died down he flopped back down with more grace then should be allowed at 4:37 in the morning. Almost immediately as if sensing his unease, his husbands strong arms wrapped around him pulling him into the safety of his embrace. Fai rolled so he was safely tucked away and wrapped his arms around the larger frame; he had no trouble falling back asleep after that.

* * *

"Beep…

Beep …

Bee….BAM!"

Like every other morning the insistent beeping of the alarm clock never made it quite through the third round before a large hand reached out and slammed the sleep button. Two bleary eyes peered unseeingly at the red numbers. Blinking a few times to clear the sleep induced haze; the man was now able to read the large digital display.

"7:00 time to wake up," he grunted as he turned his head to look at the figure who laid half splayed across his chest. As usual, the only response he got was a half whine as the small petite body tried to burry itself deeper into his embrace. He took a moment to observe the slender blonde wrapped in his arms. Even though he took a minute or two to truly wake up, Fai was very much a morning person. A fact that at one point or another had annoyed the raven to no end, now however, it was well expected and accounted for.

While the routine was usual it was wholly welcomed. Okay maybe that was a bit exaggerated. This was the only part of Kurogane's day that _ever _followed somewhat of a routine. It was only ever altered a bit when their son snuck into their room and positioned himself on either one of his parents or smack dab in the middle of them. They never minded because since this happened more often than not, they always made sure that they were presentable and the door unlocked before falling asleep. Those precious few minutes were all that remained of the man's once structured and organized life. And he didn't '_wholly' _welcome it because change had proven itself to be a good thing…no make that a great thing. It wasn't his fault that his insane lover made his previous living arrangements look boring as hell.

He silently brushed the locks of silk out of Fai's face to watch as the man pulled himself out of his dream world. The smile he received every morning was well worth the effort.

"Morning Love," Fai murmured as he slowly stretched ending only to lace his fingers together on a broad smooth chest and place his chin upon it.

"Good morning to you to." Kurogane grunted before abruptly rolling them over while smirking into startled eyes. He couldn't even begin to describe the elation he felt when he got one up on his lover. Fai didn't get surprised easily, nor did he stay that way. As if on cue, the startled eyes narrowed into a smoldering 'come hither' look.

"Is Kuro- Sama in the mood to _play_?" the blonde practically purred out while tangling long graceful digits in unruly, soft but thick spiky hair.

"Hm, maybe later, if you don't get your lazy ass out of bed we're going to be late."

Now, Kurogane wasn't made out of stone but he'd had adequate time in learning how to say 'no' to his libido. And it was a damn good thing to otherwise they would never leave the bed.

He leaned in for a quick kiss before shooing Fai into the bathroom to freshen up first. He took the least amount of time in showering and brushing his teeth. The raven would have gone in there with him but, well that would have been counterproductive. They only shared when they were in a hurry or had time to spare.

Kurogane made the bed and straightened out their room while waiting for his turn in the bathroom. As he pulled opened the window curtains the sun made a sharp reflective glint shine from his left ring finger. It was with great fondness that he looked at his wedding ring. The three stone diamond encrusted platinum band still shone as bright as it did three years ago. Each stone represented a member of his family. The only time he ever took it off was when Fai wrestled it from his finger for its yearly clean and polishing. But then that was the only time Fai ever took his matching one off either. Kurogane didn't wear jewelry on a normal basis but that hour he had to spend without his ring was just plain awkward, his husband fared no better himself.

As the shower turned off the raven haired man chided himself for wasting time before heading to take his turn.

* * *

Kurogane stepped out of the bathroom and made his way to the bed. Like always his uniform lay freshly pressed and ready to be worn. Fai had taken it upon himself to always lay out his clothes. It was greatly appreciated but sometimes he felt a little too much like a doll. _'Like he needs anything else to dress up!_' he thought sarcastically.

He studied the pieces before him twice before admitting that, yes his white collared button down shirt was indeed missing. He slipped into his boxers, dress socks, white wife-beater shirt, black slacks and belt before picking up the towel to dry his hair on the way to the kitchen. He figured that Fai might have forgotten it in the laundry room. The raven picked up his holster, gun, badge, wallet, and cell on the way out only to tuck everything in its place except the gun which he left in the hall closest to the kitchen. He hated wearing the damn thing inside the house.

As Kurogane made his way to the kitchen he swung the towel around his neck and took in the hearty aroma of homemade pancakes, toast, and eggs. _'Kami, three years and I'm still not used to home cooked meals…'_ The poor raven couldn't cook to save his life and since he no longer lived with his parents in Japan, good food was hard to come by.

Allow him to reiterate, _home cooked _food was hard to come by. Nine years without proper food had left him with a rigorous workout schedule and rock hard body. There was _no way_ come high heaven or hell was he going to deal with all the jokes about doughnuts and pastries that came with being a rounded cop. He shuttered at the mental image of a tall, pudgy, version of himself that came to mind. _'Oh the horror…'_

When they were first dating Fai had asked him why he'd chosen such a dangerous job, although he had a fairly good idea as to why already.

His answer was simple, blunt, and honest.

_"I spend my life in a constant state of irritation. I'm only happy when someone else is miserable. It's two reasons why I'm very good at what I do." (1)_

Fai just laughed amused to no end at his honesty, and to be truthful it intrigued him more. That date had gone particularly well, and in the end it had landed him a husband and son in the long run despite their rocky past.

(Cue Music - Idols - Nathalie - Big Spender)

Kurogane was almost to the doorway when the most suggestive music if there ever was one started to play out of nowhere. _Alright so maybe it came from the kitchen but who the heck was keeping tabs anyway? _

He stopped dead in his tracks however when a slender hand stuck itself in clear view only to be rotated along with the beat. He cocked an eyebrow and waited patiently for the rest of it to come.

"The minute you walked in the joint," The wrist was followed by a body slowly rolling into view so that his back was to the audience, a.k.a. Kurogane.

"I could see you were a man of distinction,  
A real big spender,  
Good looking, so refined.  
Say, wouldn't you like to know  
What's going on in my mind?"

Slender hips swayed in time to the beat as feet slid apart in an inviting manner.

"So, let me get right to the point," Fai swung around stopping sharp on his right foot, slowly going down halfway before coming back up rolling his shoulders back.

"I don't pop my cork for ev'ry guy I see."  
Hey, big spender, spend...  
A little time with...me….!"

Belatedly it occurred to Kurogane that Fai was clad only in his boxers, socks, tee-shirt, and his husband's missing oversized button down shirt. That and his nutjob was singing through a whisk.

"Wouldn't you like to have fun, fun, fun?  
How's about a few laughs, laughs?  
I could show you a good time  
Let me show you a good time"

Fai swayed to the music before grabbing the police issued cap off the kitchen counter to pull it over his head while angling it downward.

"The minute you walked in the joint  
I could see you were a man of distinction, a real big spender  
Good looking, so refined  
Say, wouldn't you like to know what's going on in my mind?"

By this time they had moved into the kitchen and Kurogane had taken to leaning on the doorframe while crossing his arms and legs opting to enjoy the show. The childish laughter coming from the table alerted him to the rest of the audience and it was all he could do not to chuckle along.

"So let me get right to the point  
I don't pop my cork for every man I see  
Hey big spender!  
Hey big spender!  
Hey big spender!  
Spend a little time with me  
Yes"

Fai's performance ended with him parading around the kitchen using various items such as the mop and bar stool amongst others to spice up his act.

A few years ago Kurogane would have been rolling his eyes in disgust had this been any other person. But this _wasn't_ a few years ago and it _was_ Fai, therefore it was _funny_. As the cheering from the table began Fai took his ridiculously low bows.

"Thank you, Thank you gentlemen and err… gentlemen!" The third bow left Fai hatless and grinning like an idiot.

"Smooth love…real smooth." Kurogane snorted teasing good naturedly.

"Yay Tou-chan sugoi! Hontoni sugoi!" Yuki hopped off his chair and threw his hands around his father's neck.

Seiryuu Yuki Fluorite Suwa was five years of age and as curious as they came. The fact that he was easily impressed by almost anything and everything his fathers did was also testament to his young naive state of mind. His impressionable mind also ensured that he learned Japanese almost as quickly as he did English. The lisp that infected his English translated over to his Japanese as well. He was too young to understand or remember that he lost his mother, but it didn't matter. His Tou-chan and Tou-san were his entire world.

Kurogane smirked at his little one's attempt to use what was quickly becoming his second language. He was honestly impressed at how fast those two seemed to pick up his native tongue.

Fai squeezed him in a bear hug before standing with him in one arm and the fallen hat in the other. He winked at the child before laughing, "You really think so Yu-chan?"

Yuki nodded enthusiastically as he was passed onto his Tou-san. "Hai, it was amazing!"

Kurogane ruffled his fluffy soft blonde hair before seating them both at the table to be served.

"Don't make his head any bigger than it already is Chibi!" Kurogane grumbled already nursing his first of what promised to be many, cup of coffee.

Yuki tilted his head in that adorable manner that most children seemed able to pull off. "Make his head bigwar? Tou-san I can' do dat I dunno magic!"

Kurogane only shook his head while Fai took over as he often did. Kurogane couldn't explain things all that well. He had always been a man of few words, and abrupt to boot. Yes he loved his son immensely but that didn't mean that he magically grew child rearing skills. He improved greatly in his communication skills but he still had room to learn more.

The blonde whirlwind placed the hat on the counter before moving about. In an instant all the food was on the table along with two more fresh brewed cups of coffee and Orange juice for the little one.

"What Tou-san means Yu-chan, is that you're gonna make me too proud of myself. But don't worry I promise I'll only be a little bit proud of myself." Fai made sure to stand with his arm akimbo as he pinched his index and thumb together in the common gesture for a little bit.

"Oh, okay 'den." Yuki quickly lost interest in the conversation as Fai poured a moderate amount of syrup on his cut up pancake pieces.

"More pweeease!" he chirped eagerly.

"That's more than enough. You'll get diabetes at a young age."

"Trust Kuro- wanta to be the voice of reason," Fai sighed dramatically.

"Wha's dy-dyebeates?" Yuki blinked and blinked again when no one was forthcoming with answers.

The eldest blonde snickered, "Nothing to worry about love. Eat your food before it runs cold."

"So what's with all the food anyway?" Red eyes turned questioningly to their mischievous blue counterpart.

"Why to celebrate of course!"

"Refresh my memory I seem to be getting old. What are we celebrating?"

"THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!" Kurogane's hands immediately went to his ears. He _hated_ when they did that! He was going to be deaf in both of his ears if they didn't stop yelling simultaneously like they did.

"And you're not old Kuro-peeko you're only 23." The man blinked stupidly at the idiot sitting across his kitchen table. His ears were still ringing, he didn't hear a damn word the moron said and Kami-sama knew he absolutely sucked at lip reading before he was decently awake.

"Hn" _'Better to play it safe than agree or disagree with him. This moron is going to be the death of me!'_

Fai eyed him suspiciously. "You forgot didn't you?"

"Wha-?" Before Kurogane could finish his sentence a sharp hand whacked him upside the head. If he didn't have a headache before he sure as heck did now. The blonde may have been slender but he was in no way weak.

"I only told you since like six months ago! Yuki is graduating kindergarten today! Please tell me you at least took the day off Kurogane it's a big day for him!" Fai looked torn between being pissed off and upset.

'_Well that explained the misuse of his shirt…' _

Kurogane almost flinched at the use of his full name. The only time the blonde ever used it was in the throes of passion, when he was deadly serious, or decidedly pissed. He most certainly wasn't in the former of the three, therefore by process of elimination he was most likely some bastard combination of the other two.

The raven haired cop made the mistake of looking at his son to avoid his husband. Guilt immediately flooded him. The cherubic face looked so heartbroken as his bottom lip trembled and baby blue eyes watered. He held the fork loosely in his small hands and avoided eye contact at all cost. He may have been five and his speech still retained that childlike quality, but he was quite perceptive when it counted.

"Ne Tou-san, dai-jow-bu. I kno' how mush you wuv your job. I's okay-"

"-I'll be there." Kurogane never gave him a chance to finish as he gently placed his large hand on the Yuki's cheek and forced the boys head to turn to him. "Seiryuu I wouldn't miss this for the world. As much as I _like_ my job, I _love_ you more. Understand?" Let it not be said that Kurogane didn't have a way with _some_ words. Sure he wasn't the most eloquent speaker around but he got his point across well enough when it mattered. Yet another thing he had his husband to thank for.

Yuki beamed him a smile that could have put the sun to shame. "Hai!."

If only Fai were so easily pleased….

The look in those normally cheerful eyes clearly said, 'We'll talk about this later', although his smile gave nothing away. And when Fai gave him 'the look' he knew his day was already on its way to hell in a lovely hand basket.

"So wha'cha have planned for today Kuro-rin?"

"The usual."

Fai nodded his head sagely. "Ah, a man of few words I see."

Kurogane felt his eye twitch, it mattered not how long they had been together, Fai's mood swings would always grate on his nerves.

"Look I'm going to be late I should get going before that Witch starts on me." Kurogane chugged the rest of his coffee before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. He liked his chief on most occasions albeit grudgingly. But the lovely lady Yuuko was the perfect sadistic bitch when she wanted to be.

He made his way around the table stopping before Fai. When Fai didn't acknowledge his presence he cleared his throat. Still no response was given.

"Alrighty Yu-chan time to go shower, we need to get you all cleaned up and handsome looking!" Fai chirped completely oblivious to the annoyed man at his other side.

"Okie- dokie- artachokie." Yuki hopped off his chair only to head straight for Kurogane. The raven haired man patted his son on the head, "Good luck chibi I'll see ya later."

When the boy ran off Kurogane resumed his position of waiting. Or at least he tried… _'Screw this I don't' have the time!'_

"Oi baka!"

"Sorry did you want something Kuro-wanta?" Fai rose slowly from his chair giving 'Kuro-wanta' a feigned curious while innocent look.

"My shirt for starters," Kurogane was two seconds away from removing the damn thing himself when the atmosphere changed completely.

Blonde locks shielded blue topaz colored eyes as the shirt slid down the graceful slopes of his shoulders.

"What's really bothering you love? It's not like you to forget something so important. Lately you've been so distant it's almost like the beginning all over again….I love you and I'd do anything for you. You know that don't you?" His uncertainty was almost a tangible thing. Fai held his trembling right arm protectively against his chest letting the shirt dangle from his fingertips.

Ruby red eyes were the size of saucers before the end of the proclamation. Had he really been that distant? He thought back to the last couple of weeks only to realize that indeed he had been working massive overtime. The fact that he forgot something as important as his son's graduation was proof that he needed some serious rest. Come to think of it, when was the last time he played with him either? And he couldn't help but realize that Fai's antics were _genuinely _annoying him more and more as of late. All at once the degrading terms he'd been thinking about him recently flew through his mind. What the hell was _wrong_ with him? Fai was nothing but loving and attentive and he had the audacity to get pissed at him for it? Sure he goaded him but it was always in good natured fun.

A sudden fear welded up inside of him, _'If he only knew the things I thought about him he'd assume I wasn't happy. And if he thought it was serious enough he'd leave in a heartbeat if only to attempt to make me happy….' _

'_And rightfully so!'_ His conscious spat out venomously afterward. His breathing suddenly felt constricted and his heart beat a mile a minute. It was never his intention to push his family away but like everything else he did, he screwed up _spectacularly_.

The raven haired man had always been more in tuned with his observing nature then most. Some called it a six sense but he preferred to call it a gut intuition. He could feel things coming from a mile away, though that didn't mean he could predict the future. Far from it in fact, that's why he was always alert, always ready for things to go wrong. But lately he'd been feeling more and more uneasy. It was almost as if something bad were going to happen and it was going to happen soon. He felt powerless and that made him more agitated than he was willing to admit. So to avoid whatever was causing his unease he worked overtime.

Fai _knew_ about his highly attuned sense, but it just worried him more. So Kurogane stopped telling him altogether when he had uneasy feelings. He just subtly warned his family to be careful on days when the feeling was particularly strong. He never realized how it made Fai feel as if he wasn't important enough to know in the first place.

Kurogane pulled the slender man into his arms not knowing what to say. Words failed him at the worst of times…that was his lovers department.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize…I love you too. Both of you mean the world to me…I never meant to push you so far away. It's just that I haven't been getting the best of feelings lately…" Well damn if he didn't know how to handle the situation. Kurogane was at a loss for what to do; he wanted to make amends but didn't even know where to start. He squeezed tighter when he felt tentative hands grip his back. The shirt lay all but forgotten on the floor.

"It's okay you just need some good 'ole rest. Why don't you take the day off and let me take care of you?" Fai finally relaxed in the embrace. His hand strayed into the raven locks where they gently combed in a soothing manner. While the action relaxed the cop to no end it also made him feel miserable inside. Even after all this, all Fai could think about was taking care of him and making sure he was okay. He really didn't deserve him, but he wanted to. Oh how he wanted to…

"As much as I'd like to, Yuuko is stretching it on staff today I can't sorry." The cop genuinely wanted to take the day off if only to reassure the older man that everything between them was okay. More importantly he wanted to reassure himself.

"No worries Kuro-sama just promise me that you'll make it in time for the ceremony and we'll call it even."

"You got it."

Kurogane felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest at the beaming smile he received. He pushed the nagging foreboding feeling to the back of his mind and opted to leave it there. Fai swooped down and collected the shirt off the floor. Before he realized it he was buttoned up and suited to go. Ruby eyes blinked stupidly before a pair of soft lips forced them close from the sheer intensity of the kiss he received.

His arms held the smaller man possessively to him as he worked wonders with his talented mouth. He nipped gently on the bottom lip captured between his own gaining accesses almost immediately.

The tongue that caressed the inside of his mouth was absolute heaven Fai decided. When they broke for air Fai sagged boneless against his husband entirely grateful when two strong arms held him upright. When he could stand on his own he shoved Kurogane away from him playfully grinning ear to ear.

"Kuro- wanwan somebody might see!" The scandalized voice would have worked better without the smile, but what the hey? Who cared anyway?

Fai forcefully- erm lovingly shoved the hat on Kurogane's head before spinning him around and pushing him out the kitchen door.

"Have a good day Kuro-chi!"

Kurogane just sighed. He'd given up trying to get his blonde to stop calling him those silly pet names. In truth they were rather endearing. You'd sooner get him to listen to Yuuko before admitting that out loud though.

* * *

"Sakura-chan wanted me to invite you to our anniversary dinner next month. She said that she'd speak to Fai-san about it at work." Syaoran's voice was as soft as usual but it held a note of uncertainty. He'd been working as Kurogane's junior partner for a little over two years now. Truth be told he was Kurogane's best friend, he could read the man's silent form of communication better than anyone… well, with the exception of Fai.

"Sure kid no problem. I'm sure Seiryuu will be looking forward to it to. He's loves his Sakura- Obachan's cooking almost as much as the dummy's.

Syaoran chuckled at that. He knew Kurogane never meant any of the names that he called his significant other. It was just that old habits died hard. The brunet smiled as he thought of his nephew, he'd met him at the first of what became weekly dinners. It was the biggest coincidence that Sakura got a job at Fai's restaurant as the Sous-chef while Syaoran became Kurogane's partner not even a few weeks later.

'_Boy was that an interesting dinner.' _Syaoran couldn't help but think. Fai had invited Sakura and her husband over to dinner only to discover that the common Asian Li surname was no coincidence. They were both young, only 21 with a few months to separate them, so the blonde took it upon himself to mother them even though he himself was only 25. Syaoran and Sakura had spare keys to their home and visa versa. Every weekend they took turns cooking and sleeping over just for the heck of it. Syaoran and Sakura had their own room in the Suwa household and Kurogane, Fai, and Yuki had one in the Li household. It kept life interesting. They were now family and whoever said blood was thicker than water had obviously never met the likes of them before.

"Well what do you expect when he has the two most talented chefs in the country cooking for him?" Syaoran broke his quite musing with a gentle shake of his head.

Kurogane couldn't disagree. Both of them were suckers for a good meal. You know what they say, _'a way to a man's heart'_ an' all.

"Anyway, Sakura-chan is getting out early today so she could get ready for the ceremony I figured that I'd just head off with you."

The news was not surprising in the least. It would have been more of a shocker if the couple hadn't decided to show.

"Sure, I'm taking off at 12 and…"

"_Unit five-zero-one respond, are you there, copy"_

"This is unit five-zero-one, what's the emergency? Over," Syaoran didn't miss a beat.

"_Unit six-seven-two from the district over is requesting back up on a high speed chase along route 95 heading for the interstate. You're the closest unit respond immediately."_

"_Understood, over"_

"Well looks like it won't be a quite morning after all." The raven grumbled.

"Don't worry this shouldn't be anything too complicated." His partner reassured.

The raven realized that they were going in the wrong direction which made his eye twitch in annoyance.

"Okay, I'm gonna do something slightly illegal now, so you just look the other way for a second."(1)

Nothing complicated indeed…

* * *

"DROP YOUR WEAPON AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!" Kurogane's warning shout went unheeded as the man continued to fire off shots.

'_That drunk bastard is asking for it!'_ The senior cop let out a growl as a ricochet bullet almost clipped Syaoran in the shoulder. He may not have been on the force long but he was with his department since its opening roughly three years ago. He was an early graduate after all.

'_How the fuck did a simple high-speed chase turn into a shootout?' _ His thoughts were put on hold as he ducked behind his car once again. Not that a shootout was highly unusually by any means but…

"Every day I think people can't get any freakin' stupider. Everyday I'm proven horribly wrong."

"Amen," Syaoran added to that in exasperation.

"YA GOD DAMNED MOTHER FUCKIN' FBI AGENT'S ISN'T NOT TAKIN' ME BACK ALIVE. MA MAMA AIN'T NO ALIEN! I WON' GO BACK TA HELL! YA HEAR ME YA BASTARD CHILD OF A SATAN WORSHIPIN' CHICKENSHIT DEMON WORE?"

The term 'What the fuck?' didn't even begin to cover the fool's ramblings. The other cop units had been lost when the drunk had veered off the main road and into a woodsy looking area. It hadn't taken long for his tires to get punctured on something or the other.

"I'M WARNING YOU ASSHOLE PUT THE GUN DOWN _BEFORE_ YOU RUN OUT OF BULLETS!"

"Do you really think that'll work? He's drunk out of his mind and screaming nonsense." Ever the voice of reason Syaoran's cool temperament was the perfect balance for Kurogane's occasional hot headedness.

"I'm going in."

"Are you _crazy_? You'll get shot!" Syaoran hissed in panic. No matter how long they had been working together, the brunet would never get rid of the worry and panic that accompanied his partner come brother's brash actions.

"Well that which does not kill me had better run pretty damn fast." Grinning Kurogane took a deep breath before darting to the perpetrator's car. Syaoran provided the distraction needed in order to get close. By the time the man felt the ominous figure behind him it was too late. Kurogane disarmed him within an instant and had him pinned to the car with handcuffs in place.

Syaoran was right behind him already patting him down for any further weapons without being told to.

"LEMME GO YA GOV' SPY BASTARDS!"

"You have the right to remain silent so please shut up..." Yup his day was already on its way to hell and he had a feeling it wasn't quite there yet.

The man turned his head to the side only to glare at his captor. Nobody could have stopped what happened next. The drunkard spat on the tired irate face before him.

Kurogane raised his hand to roughly swipe at the vile substance running down his cheek.

'_Now, now it's in hell...' _His humorless thought did little to calm him.

When someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown about it, but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and punch the crap out of them. How was the poor drunk to know that the cop he just spat on was a master of Kendo, tae kwon do, Karate, Judo, and Krav Maga?

His lover had been nice enough to teach him the last one but as a child he'd excel at any martial arts style he put his mind to. It was supposed to teach him discipline…che, poor suckers who taught him didn't have a clue…

Syaoran watched as the medics tended to their supposed victim. It was only a broken nose but he had no delusions about what their boss would say. He winced at the thought of standing before the imposing woman. He could take down guys three times his size but still couldn't be comfortable around Yuuko. To be fair, he thought Kurogane had shown a lot of self restraint but it probably wouldn't matter. The brunet glanced at his watch and almost let out a curse.

'_We're going to be in the world of trouble!'_

It was 11:37

* * *

A massive migraine was the least of his worries. Kurogane didn't think he deserved the woman's harping at all. He wondered briefly how she would have reacted to a wad of spit being hurled at her pretty face. On second thought it was safer not to go down that path. He was late as it was and he really didn't have the time for this. He needed a vacation.

Well if that idea didn't smack him in the face earlier it sucker punched him now. Fai's gentle push in the right direction had nothing to do with it, honest!

"…And further more…"

"…Okay I get it I screwed up, so put me on probation so I can get on my way." Kurogane grumped as he crossed his arms. Patience was a foreign concept on most occasions. This was one of them.

Yuuko just sat stunned at being interrupted. "No, I didn't meant that you needed to be put on probation just be more level headed..."

"-Look, I'll be straight. I'm taking two weeks of vacation. I worked my ass off and god knows I'm good for it."

"It doesn't work like that and you know it. You have to put in for time and then wait for it to be approved." Yuuko looked too smug for Kurogane's liking.

"I'll make this real easy for you then, either you give me time off or you're going to have to submit my resignation letter." Without waiting for an answer the raven slapped a sealed envelope on the boss's desk before he turned and stalked out of the room. Kurogane was no fool he knew that there was always a possibility that she might do it for real. He just couldn't bring himself to care, hence the resignation letter he prepared in haste before entering the room.

Syaoran who at this point had gone unnoticed quickly excused himself before hurrying out after his partner. Kurogane must have been thoroughly fed up or stressed out to actually plan this far ahead, the man _never_ planned _anything!

* * *

_

Fai sat there unable to concentrate. Kurogane and Syaoran were late and it was unlike either of them to be anything but punctual. The ceremony had begun about half an hour ago and it was almost time for them to receive their certificates. He kept the smile on his face so Sakura wouldn't worry. But every time he saw Yuki's hopeful looking face search for his Tou-san and Oji-chan only to fall into uncertainty when he realized they weren't there, it made his heart break.

He wanted to be angry at his husband for putting that look on their son's face to begin with. However common sense took over and worry filled its place instead. The biggest danger Fai faced in his job was getting burnt or cutting off a finger. Kurogane and Syaoran faced life and death situations more than he cared for.

"Ano, those two are really late I hope everything is alright." Sakura said with worry.

"No worries Hime I'm sure their fine. They're probably stuck in traffic or something." Fai reassured with all the conviction he could muster.

He once again turned to watch as his son scanned the crowd and as his face lit up he knew at once what that meant.

Kurogane and Syaoran tried to be as discrete as possible but two handsome men decked out in uniform were bound to draw attention no matter where they were or how subtle they were trying to be.

As soon as Fai saw them he waved them over and waited patiently for them to take a seat next to their respective spouses.

"What on earth took you two so long Kuro-tan? Do you know how worried we were?" Fai's hand immediately wrapped around his arm and laced their fingers together. It helped settle his nerves and gave the message loud and clear to any single (or married) moms staring at his gorgeous Raven haired cop.

"Sorry there was a shootout…"

'_Shit!'_ was the immediate thought that followed that statement. That was not the smartest thing he ever said. Especially considering what he'd just been told. Kurogane was never one to mince the truth but that had been said in poor taste even by his standards.

'_Shoot out? I knew something was keeping them but Kami-sama!'_ Fai though he was doing a pretty good job at remaining calm as he clutched tighter at the warm hand in his. Sakura to, the only difference was that she held Syaoran's hand in a death grip.

"Are you two alright?" Sakura whispered fearfully. The slender woman scanned them both for noticeable injuries only relaxing when there were no visible signs.

"Hai, there is nothing to worry about, everything went rather smoothly." Syaoran's soothing voice did wonders for damage control. There were very few times Syaoran could ever remember getting annoyed in his life, and for good reason to. He was the world's most understanding, sweetest man to date. He knew what kind of day Kurogane had and didn't blame him for being so blunt. Some tact wouldn't have hurt anyone however.

"We'll tell you about it later, they're about to get their names called." Kurogane reassured. Fai rested his head on the broad shoulder and Kurogane couldn't resist placing his head on top of the blonde silk tress. He was so damn exhausted. That didn't stop all four of them for applauding the loudest though when Seiryuu stood on stage with a blush on his cheeks, grin on his face, and certificate in hand.

* * *

The dinner that had followed for once took place in an establishment that didn't involve Fai and Sakura's constant overseeing. It was a small local place called Souma's named after the owner who happened to be one of Kurogane's long time friends. The quaint Japanese style restaurant had a play area/ arcade for children and teens. It was nothing fancy but Yuki loved it there and the arrangements were fine for the occasion.

Fai stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror not really seeing anything at all he was so lost in thought. The conversation that had taken place over dinner was amusing to say the least. They were waiting on the meal to come when Fai decided to broach the topic that all of them seemed to be studiously avoiding.

"_So are you going to tell us about what happened earlier or am I going to have to pry it out of you with a hammer, chisel, and crow bar?" The blonde was only half joking as he inquired about their day._

_He watched as Syaoran shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Kurogane almost visibly flinched. 'Twice in one day this must be dome kind of record!' Fai thought in all seriousness._

He knew neither his 'son' nor husband were in the habit of lying. But the ridiculous story he received had him torn between laughter and worry.

However the bomb that had been dropped on him wasn't the tale of the intoxicated man but rather what happened after. Kurogane took his first vacation since they'd been married. And to top it all off tomorrow they would go upstate to a vacation home owned by Kurogane.

* * *

"Hhhuuu," the blonde chef whistled while pushing his sunglasses up to rest on the top of his head. His crystal blue eyes were drinking in the sight before him with awe.

Fai couldn't stop staring in appreciation at the beautiful upstate home that he had no idea existed until now. It was a modern home, with 80% covered in reinforced glass it left very little to the imagination. The good thing was that all the glass could be switched to a one-way view if need be to provide privacy. But seeing as how they were a good hour's drive from civilization, that didn't seem to pose a problem.

"Kuro- pii I might just get lost in there!" he teased his husband.

"Shut up it's not that big." Kurogane grumbled a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"So you say but I wonder what Yu-chan would say."

"He'll see it soon enough. The kids said that they would drop him off on Sunday and spend the night before going back on Monday." Kurogane's muffled voice came from the trunk as he dug out the last of their luggage.

"At least they gave us two days to set everything up for him. It would be hard to entertain him while unpacking." Fai made one hell of a mean house wife. It generally pissed the crap out of those snobby women who lived in their community too. He was the man who could juggle mothering, housekeeping, work, and being a spouse like it was nothing. To add insult to injury he had no marital problems what so ever either.

He grabbed the bags of grocery and left all the luggage to his sturdy cop. "Com'mon Kuro-chuu we have to celebrate!" The blonde was a mix bundle of emotions. On one hand he was happy for their alone time on the other hand….

"What exactly are we celebrating?" Déjà vu flashed though his mind. The raven looked at him in confusion as he hauled their belongings through the thick mostly glass doors.

"This is the first time I've ever been on my own since Yu-chan was born." It was said in a whisper but it held the world of weight.

Kurogane stepped out to survey Fai's mood, and he must have found what he was looking for because he smirked and said, "Well then far be it from me to keep you waiting."

Without another word a loud bell like laughter rung out through the air as the golden haired tenshi was swept off his feet, bags and all, to be carried across their new threshold. Dinner would have to wait, unpacking for that matter would have to wait. They had a house to christen.

* * *

Two days passed by like it was nothing. For the first time they were allowed to laze around in bed and enjoy each other's company in more ways than one. Fai was loving every second of it. There were moments though when he felt distinctly uncomfortable. It was almost as if there was somebody watching them. Fai ignored the feeling seeing as they were the only ones there. Their closest neighbors were more than a few miles away.

Soon enough though, Sakura and Syaoran stood on their front steps with the little bundle of joy. Fai greeted them enthusiastically and promptly handed them each a spare key.

"That's so you can come here even when we're not. This is your home too so you should treat it like one."

"Is this really okay Fai-san Kurogane-san?" Syaoran smiled brightly when he received two affirmatives.

"What have you got in your hands Sakura-hime?" Fai looked at the parcel with sparkling eyes causing the poor girl to blush and stammer.

"I-It's nothing much just a strawberry shortcake as a house warming gift." She thrust the plate forward in offering while twisting nervously. The auburn haired brunet was painfully cute.

"Let's get you guys settled in and while we're at it you can pick out your own rooms!" The older version of the ball of joy exclaimed excitedly.

* * *

Hours had passed in a pleasant way….err semi pleasant half chaotic way. Fai had decided that everyone was being way to 'polite and normal' for his taste. And as the great big book of universal rules dictated, Fai had rectify the situation immediately by playing random pranks on whoever was unfortunate enough to cross his path. It was safe to say that nobody was spared and it was a damn good thing that Fai and Sakura could clean like the devil was after them.

After everyone was showered and Yuki was tucked away in bed, the grownups sat in the sunroom with cups of sake to mellow them out. The sunroom was an interesting place to be. It was octagonal shaped, almost fully detached from the house, and completely made of glass windows, doors, and roof much like the main house. The only entry points were the breezeway leading from the living room and the double French doors leading out into the garden. An oval indigo oriental rug, a circular beige colored couch set (wide enough to be considered a futon), a few odd plants, and a black baby grand were the only things furnishing the spacious room.

Sakura and Syaoran sat cuddled together under a warm fleece and Kurogane and Fai sat opposite of them pretty much in the same position. The chef was curled up in his husband's side, head resting comfortably in the crook of his neck while nursing his drink. The raven had his right arm wrapped securely around the smaller man while the other lazily swirled his drink around.

The lights were off, the stars were out, the moon was shinning, and the air was suddenly thick with tension.

"Sakura-chan if you worry any louder my brain will implode." Fai tried to joke but the half-assed attempt to smile didn't fool anyone.

"Why the sudden somber moods, is there something that you need to tell us?" Kurogane's sharp eyes took in everything while trying to figure out what the cause for such an atmosphere could be.

"Actually Fai-san, somebody came looking for you right before you left." Syaoran said quietly.

"Really? Was it somebody you disliked?" Fai's curiosity helped ease the air back into something more companionable.

"I don't think we knew him. We didn't get to see his face because he was wearing a high collar jacket and a cap. But he was talking to Yu-chan from over the fence and when I approached him he just walked away.

Kurogane looked up sharply, his leveled tone leaving no questions as to the dark mood he was quickly coming into. "Did Seiryuu tell you what he wanted?"

"Yes but not very much I'm afraid. All he seemed to want to know was where Yuki's 'Tou-chan' is," was the solemn troubled reply from Syaoran.

A sound slap was heard with an accompanying groan as Fai's delicate hand connected with his forehead in the universal symbol for '_Oh shit…'_

"He's been repeating the cabin location at least twice an hour if only to remind himself where it is. Chibi wouldn't know not to tell somebody something like that."

"Especially if they say that they know us from work." The raven grudgingly added while his mind raced with the possibilities of who it could be. Kurogane's gut churned uneasily. The room got quiet again as all four adults tried to put a name to a face they had never seen.

They were so lost in thought that they never notice the pair of blue eyes looking at them.

"I'm sowwie I did sometin' bad." The small voice was both sad and scared. Yuki's usually crystal blue eyes were clouded with tears.

Four heads turned quickly to the doorway where the little figure stood unsure of himself.

"No baby no, you didn't do anything wrong." Fai's warm voice and calming expression worked quickly to sooth his fears. But before he could get out of his seat to retrieve his precious baby, Syaoran was already up cradling him and cooing soft reassurance in his ear. That boy's gentle nature did not allow for him to watch someone who he considered his own son feel upset. The chocolate haired teen retook his position on the couch and Sakura immediately cuddled with them both. Yuki was calming down but the troubled look refused to leave his face.

"Sweetheart what are you still doing up?" Sakura voice was gentle and it hardly disturbed the quickly tiring child.

"I don' wanna be 'lone…" he mumbled tiredly.

"…e'll come fow me…"

Sleep overtook Yuki as his ramblings trailed off. Fai sat up straighter as he watched on with weary eyes.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow will be better, Yu-chan's safe here. There's no need to bring it back up with him. When he's ready he'll talk."

Nobody argued because they all agreed. They lazed around for another hour before calling it a night.

Kurogane stood up and stretched his tired muscles. Fai sighed as Kurogane retrieved a sleeping Seiryuu from the young couple.

"It's getting late why don't we hit the hay. I'll make you guys breakfast before you head home, kay?"

"That would be nice Fai-san but you shouldn't be doing all the cooking by yourself. I'll give you a hand." There was no arguing with Sakura once she got an idea in her head.

"Hai, oyasumi."

Calls of 'good night', and 'sweet dreams', rang around the room as everyone headed towards their respective bedrooms. The raven paused outside Yuki's door before opting to take him to their room to sleep. He felt safer knowing he was within arm's reach and he missed his chibi to.

He quickly prepared himself for bed and set his pillows before lying down and placing Seiryuu on top of his broad chest. He would've placed his baby in the middle but it really didn't make sense since there was a guaranty that Yuki would end up on one of his parents halfway through the night. Adjusting was never hard but he was tired as is. Fai cuddled throwing his right leg and arm across his loved ones and sighed once more as Kurogane's arm settled around him.

Unfortunately blissful sleep was not his to claim that night. His own personal demon lurked in the dark recesses of his mind and for the first time in a long time he dreamed of _her _and the horror that followed her memory like a plague.

* * *

"Beep, Beep.. Beeeeeeppp…"

_Blood…_

"…..-urry up we're losing her!..."

_There was so much blood…_

"Doctor there's no pulse….. flat lining…."

_Was there really this much blood in a person?_

"…stats….. one more time…."

_Panic, gut wrenching panic and fear... _

"Somebody please help her! PLEASE!"

_Somebody was… screaming? Who? Why?..._

"Sir- sir I'm sorry but you'll have to wait out here.."

_Laughter, shrill laughter ringing in his ears….'_ It's okay now Yuui we can be a family again, no one will ever love you as much as me_!'_

"Waahh waaahhh!"

_A child, his child, crying …Why? What was going on?_

"Shhh, shhh baby mommy's gonna be alright. She's gonna be just fine…"

_Gasp…gasp…pant… Who was breathing so hard?_

"I'm sorry Mr. Fluorite…."

_Tha-dump…Thaa-dump…Thaa-dump… someone's heart was racing.._

"…she didn't make it…"

_No…can't you…_

"…hear her heart beat? CAN"T YOU?"

"Waahhh Waahhhhhhhhhhh"

_Why was Yuki crying?_

"Calm down Mr. Fluorite please!"

_Tha-dump..-dump_

"Professor Fluorite? Professor Fluorite can you hear me? Quick he's going into shock grab the kid! Professor, Professor…!"

_No this couldn't' be happening… Chii couldn't be…_

"CHHHIII!"

"YUUI!" Strong arms encircled him.

_Tormented Ruby colored eyes drowned him in a sea of blood… and then there was nothing but darkness…_

_When his eyes opened again it was just to relieve him of one hell only to thrust him unsuspecting into another one. _

'Pant…pant… gasp….'

'Pant…pant… gasp….'

_Surreal that was the situation…_

'Pant…pant…gasp…'

Harsh intakes of breath filled the air as the one responsible struggled vainly to keep the erratic noise to a minimum.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this!…_

Another crash resounded through the poorly lit room as the storm of the century raged on beyond the confines of what had now become a glass prison. The urgent need to suppress his heavy breathing and irregular heartbeat was now more prominent than before.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this at a_ll…

A small whimper was heard before it was quickly silenced by frantic hands trying to prevent any other sounds from escaping. The two figures huddled together between the barstools underneath the protection of the granite countertop leading into the kitchen.

"Come now Yuui I just wanna talk. Is that such a-"…..crash…"-_bad_ thing?" A lamp was thrown across the room in hopes of startling his prey out of hiding. He only succeed in causing the blonde to finch before retracting further into his hiding place with his precious bundle. The man's tone was constantly switching between growling, hysteria, and cajoling.

"I've been searching for you for so long now love won't you at least FREAKIN' SPEAK TO ME? Where's our baby Yuui? I wanna see our baby! YOU CAN'T KEEP HIM FROM ME! GOD FUCKING DAMN YOU!"

At the sound of a whimper, the intruders head cracked sharply to the side.

"Damnit!" A soft hiss rang out before being muffled by the loud booming thunder and the sharp crack of lightning. Before the intruder was able to take another step further the lights went out.

* * *

Fai's eyes snapped open and realized that for a moment he couldn't breathe. He thumped his chest hard and immediately sucked in his much needed air. His mind was racing at the speed of light as he struggled to process all the very vivid images flowing through there like rapid fire. New visions and old memories assaulted his mind like a broken record.

He quietly rolled out of bed and checked to make sure his husband and son remained asleep before silently tiptoeing out of the room.

Sleep would not be knocking on his door anytime soon. He wouldn't let it.

Once he reached the kitchen he put the dim kitchen spotlights on as he started to brew a fresh pot of coffee. Or as Kuro-sama would call it, his 'cream n sugar with a little bit of coffee on the side'.

He sat on the barstool with the steaming mug in front of him all the while not really comprehending what he was doing. He was on auto-pilot as his brain refused to let the images fade away with his sleep. And quite frankly Fai would do next to anything in order to forget his hell on earth. He was perfectly happy with just letting sleeping dogs lie.

The blonde knew that for the past few weeks he'd been having a reoccurring nightmare but he was never bothered much by it because he could never remember the details. But today unfortunately, the nightmare just wouldn't stop this time around. And he could recall every detail. It was a strange dream and Fai didn't understand how he could dream about this house when he'd never so much as seen a picture of it. But one thing he was pretty damn sure of was that his baby had only one man he'd ever known as 'father' besides himself. And Fai would sooner put a bullet in the bastard's head who'd dare even suggest such a thing, than believe that his husband was capable of such terror.

Just thinking about the hysteria in that baritone voice made his skin crawl. Fai felt a cold chill run down his spine that made him almost jump out of his skin. The forgotten coffee was quickly taken up in a means to distract himself from the first half of his nightmare…no not nightmare, memory.

Silently the man watched the stillness of the outside world in the dead of the night through the glass window that made up almost an entire side of the kitchen. The dim light and slight reflection of himself did nothing to deter him from observing the eerie calm before him. And neither could it properly distract him from the dream that started to link the chain of broken memories that, for four years he had kept scattered and at bay.

Like the waves during a storm crashing haphazardly onto the shore, the memories came rushing back.

* * *

Yuui D. Fluorite was a relatively new psychology professor on the scene who had a flare for theatrics. He may have been young but by no means was he an amateur, the framed PhD on his wall was a testament to that. His twisted mind made him a great case study, but he preferred to think that he was just one step ahead of everybody else. He was well loved by those he taught and even some of those he didn't. The psychologist was from an upper class family so he was already settled in a moderately sized home with two cars. A sleek chrome Infiniti Essence, and his other pride and joy the white Toyota FT HS which was sitting in his garage (2). He was happily married for what was going to be two years soon and he was a proud father for one.

His marital status never deterred his admirers and his personality guaranteed he had no enemies. Sure he had a few jealous admirers here and there but no serious grudges.

He walked into his lecture hall and greeted his student aid, Ashura who always seemed to get there before the blonde professor. Yuui didn't know how he did it, but when asked, the brunet would just smile that mysterious smile of his while replying, "One can only wonder…" The Professor just chalked it up to the simple explanation that Ashura slept there. His student teacher was a personal request of his. Even though Ashura was a few years older than himself the man made a decent case study, and he was polite to boot.

It was already the second semester of his first year and the blonde was itching with anticipation for the return of his favorite class. Well it was his first and only class so far but he could already tell there were some characters in there that were completely unique and wholly unforgettable. Since Yuui had done such an amazing job at psyc101 he was invited to lead his class into the more advanced second stage of the major.

The Professor perched himself on the edge of his desk. He rolled up the sleeves of his white oxford shirt while loosening his purple tie and unfastening the first two buttons, generally making himself comfortable for the next few hours to come. He'd learned quickly that though policy demanded he dressed in professional attire it didn't mean that he had to _stay_ dressed. The students started pouring in five minutes to nine and since it was a morning class it always took them a while to wake up.

Yuui cheerfully greeted all who entered and waited patiently for his favorite student to walk in. At exactly nine o'clock on the dot a raven haired boy walked through the doors with a cup of coffee in one hand and books in the other. _'Like clockwork'_ the blonde haired deviant thought to himself with a chuckle. He said 'boy' but this particular student was a prodigy amongst his peers. He was only nineteen and was graduating university with honors at the end of the semester. He was by all rights a man but being the youngest caused him to be seen as a child. Yuui knew better than to make that mistake.

At the faint sound of the laugh the Raven froze on the spot. His brain waking up instantly as it processed the situation. _'Goddamnit….' _He cursed to even looking to confirm that what he suspected was true, he turned on his heels and started for the door.

He didn't get very far as his momentary pause gave the speedy little blonde plenty of time to reach him. A surprisingly strong but slender hand hooked in the collar of his polo shirt halting him in his hasty retreat.

"Now now Kuro-wanta class hasn't even started yet!" Yuui exclaimed happily as he dragged the larger man forcefully to a seat he reserved especially for him in the front row. Which by the way was no easy task seeing as everyone, male and female alike, fought for a seat closest to the blonde. However they all knew the drill by now, Yuui loved to torture the raven and it was very entertaining…erm…_educational_ to listen to their arguments.

"It's KU-RO-GA-NE you _psychotic nut_! Get it right already will you? And this is a form of physical abuse! I can have you charged with inappropriate conduct amongst other things!" The prodigy half yelled half growled as he was unceremoniously shoved in a chair…no wait in _his_ chair.

"If you say so Kuro-chuu. But like it or not you're stuck with me!" The blonde exclaimed excitedly, carrying on like the evil eye of doom drilling holes in him didn't exist.

"Like Peanut butter and Jelly, bread n butter, Abbott and Castello, Vodka and Cranberry juice, the Titanic and the iceberg, Sunny and Cheer, superglue and your chair…!"

"Would you please shut –u…wait WHAT?" Sure enough when the prodigy tried to stand up his chair, now firmly attached to his (rather attractive) posterior, followed suit.

"TEME OMAI O KOROSU! KIMPATSU BAKA KA! CHIKUSHO!" Kurogane was _Pissed _with a capital 'P'. (3)

"English Kuro-chan English. Death threats lose their meaning when you can't understand them you know!" The professor cheekily added.

"I hate you!" was his angry reply.

"Nah, you like me, I can feel it in my nuggets!"

"Tell me who'd you get your 'nuggets' from?"

"Why?"

"I'd like to shoot the moron who gave them to you!"

"Why?"

"Because he's a colossal idiot!"

A blink, a tilt of the head and, "How does that make you feel?"(4)

One look at the red faced serious man and Yuui had to bite his tongue to control his laughter. He quickly turned his back but if his shaking shoulders were any indication he was about to burst with the effort it took to suppress it. His students on the other hand had no problem with laughing at his pranks. The majority of them had already fallen victim to his twisted sense of humor but none more so than Kurogane.

When he felt ready he turned around and waved a dismissive hand in the raven's direction, "Relax it will wear off in a little while."

The normally level headed student had no sense of humor to speak of. He sat there unwilling to say another word to the manic they gave a license to. His ruby red eyes glared hatefully into amused blue sapphires.

"Don't you look at me in that tone of voice! You'll get premature wrinkles." He winked one big blue eye while wagging his finger before turning around.

Yuui deciding to spare his favorite adorable student for a while turned to his lesson plan. Kurogane grudgingly pushed his anger aside to pay attention to the lecture. He didn't _hate _the professor per-say but the man made it next to impossible to concentrate. And it didn't help that Kurogane's preferences happened to lye on the wrong side of the fence. It was just his misfortune that he had come to develop a tiny minuscule almost non-existent crush on a married man.

The raven groaned quietly to himself, if he were a lesser man he'd try banging his head on the table in hopes of putting whatever screw was loose back in place. Unfortunately he wasn't a lesser man and common sense told him that would only loosen more screws not tighten them.

The self-depreciating groan was not lost on the witty Professor nor was his student's little 'problem'. Yuui had been observing Kurogane for a while so when he started noticing the subtle differences in his behavior towards him he'd been floored. You see the blonde appreciated the benefits of both genders. Before marriage he was most defiantly into experimenting with relationships.

Nevertheless he was married now and had a family to put before himself. No matter how cute his student was it would never- could never go anywhere. Marrying at 19 may not have been the smartest thing to do seeing as he was so young.

He was in love, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate what was in front of him. The prodigy was young and it was more likely than not, a phase he was going through. A little tease here and there and hopefully it would push his student in the right direction, away from temptation as it were.

He smirked at the still red faced boy before persisting like nothing happened. The strangest sensation overcame him while he continued to explain the wonders of how influence affected the human psyche. Someone was staring at him. It was peculiar stare, almost as if someone were consuming him with their eyes

Yuui didn't even make eye contact with the offender. He already knew who it was because the culprit was way more forward and open about his attraction to him. In fact Yuui almost wish that the man would make a move already so he would have grounds to have him removed from his class! Rondart was simply put, a creepy bastard who thought Yuui was in denial. The psychologist wanted to help him, and that was the only reason he didn't report the man's nearly stalker-ish tendencies.

* * *

_Unknowingly to Yuui at the time, the smirk was not lost on one particular student though. Kyle Rondart's dark eyes drank in the scene with disgust. He was second best to that self-righteous pompous little bastard. But this year this year would be different. Kurogane would no longer steal his beloved's eyes away from him. He didn't deserve his attention.

* * *

_

The class was coming to a closing and Yuui couldn't help but be relieved. For some reason Rondart un-nerved him more so today than any other day. His dark eyes lit with a purpose that the professor was certain he didn't want to understand.

"Alright then review chapter one and summarize for me. Remember no plagiarizing and no text book definitions. I want honest opinions and understanding of concepts. Enjoy your day and I'll see you the day after next."

Normally groans would accompany such an assignment. This wasn't 'normally' and this was Yuui's class for crying out loud! Half the class was busy making calf eyes at him. Well all except for one,

"Did you learn anything interesting Kuro-wanta?"

"It's KUROGANE dammit! And nothing I haven't already read in the book," was the grudging reply.

"You _finished_ the book?" Wide eyes looked on in genuine surprise.

Kurogane looked everywhere but at the man standing in front of him. He had a favor to ask and he didn't know how well his request would be taken.

"Yeah actually I was hoping you'd be able to help me out with something." The red faced teen still couldn't look him in the eye.

"Oh?" Yuui needed to do no other prompting as Kurogane hurriedly asked his question. Yuui wished he hadn't though…

"_I finished the syllabus for all my classes this semester and my professors along with the department heads are all willing to give me my midterm and finals test together next month. I'll be able to graduate five months ahead of schedule if you allow me to take your exams too. So can I?"_

…because he couldn't say no.

* * *

A month had come and gone like it was nothing, especially since they only had psychology twice a week. As expected the prodigy had aced all the exams. Yuui was sad to see his favorite student leave but he surmised that it was for the best and they were better off parting ways so no lasting attachments could be formed. It was just too bad that he was doing a piss poor job at convincing himself that after the teen was gone. He tried to be cheerful and witty like everyone expected him to be but letting go of his first student was hard. Even his wife sympathized with him.

God, he wondered if letting go of his first student was this difficult then what was he going to do when his son grew up?

Lucky for him he still had a few years to learn how to deal with it. Unluckily for him though, was that Kyle seemed to be getting more persistent as the days went on. He suspected that the raven thought he would need a shoulder to lean on after the loss of his favorite student. It made him wonder if Kyle assumed Kurogane was dead now that he was gone. That wasn't the case at all. The prodigy was in the process of making a name for himself at the police department downtown.

Even the ever cheerful blonde's patience were wearing thin with the over enthusiastic doctor in training. He was at his rope's end when it came to that man's obsession with him. He had arrived upon his first real road block in his career and unfortunately getting rid of him was like trying to demolish a brick wall with a tooth pick.

Today his mood was particularly sour and for the first time he did nothing to hide it. And oh boy did he let that asshole have it!

Today was Yuki's first birthday and Kyle had bought him a birthday gift in congratulations. Now that wasn't a problem, a large number of staff and students alike had bought small gifts for the adorable baby. It was what he had gotten him that, in Kuro-tan's words, 'pissed him the hell off'! The upstart had the audacity to give the baby a picture. But it wasn't just any picture, no, it was one of him, his wife Chii, and son Yuki, well what use to be his wife anyway. Rondart had taken the liberty to photoshop the woman out and insert himself in her place. And in the card he wrote '_To my beloved son'_. Where the hell he got the picture in the first place was anyone's guess.

Yuui was done, he was tired of trying to help the man, he was tired of all the bold behavior, and frankly he was now worried about his family. He silently chastised himself for allowing things to have gotten so out of hand in the first place.

"I'm not going to ask what you were thinking because frankly I don't particularly give a damn. I'm not going to ask you for an apology because in your mind you did nothing wrong. I _am_ going to tell you that you are no longer welcomed to my class or sessions. In addition to that if I so much as see you near me, or send me gifts of any sort I will get a restraining order against you. Is that in any way unclear?"

The professor didn't yell or scream, nor did he curse or have a tantrum. His perfectly leveled voice and intense glare accomplished more than any of those things could ever hope to do. The gift was clutched tightly in his hands as he paid no mind to it. The class was as silent as the grave. Nobody, absolutely nobody had ever seen him loose his cool before. It was terrifying.

"I-I don't understand. What's wrong precious has somebody said something to you?" Kyle's hurt tone of voice and choice of wording pushed him over the edge. The man had no shame and there wasn't a student present who didn't know of the wanna be doctor's not so secret obsession.

"How dare you? How fucking dare you? _'Said something?'_ You want to know if somebody _'said something'?_ How about my wife for starters? As if you calling me at all weird hours and telling me that you need my 'help' and sending me gift's when my wife is the one who has to collect them isn't enough! You dare try to insinuate yourself into my SON'S life as if he didn't already have a FATHER!" Yuui's control was slipping. He never raised his voice but this was simply too much.

"Wha-What do you mean? Is it that- that _bitch_ who put you on the spot like this? Did she threaten to take Yuki away from us if you didn't deny me?" Rondart's voice was filled of venom and his eye's where wild and desperate.

"Get out, get out you bastard before I have you arrested on grounds of stalking and harassment!" Fear was quickly replacing anger as Yuui stared at the madman in front of him. Something in his dark eyes unsettled him, it was something evil.

"Don't worry precious I'll fix this. You won't have to worry anymore."

"Fix? Fix what? There's nothing to fix! My family is perfect! I have a loving wife a beautiful son, and they have me! They only need me, my son only needs one father and he already has one!" Yuui's desperate shouts were falling on deaf ears as Kyle's determined figure rounded the corner.

"Wait! Where are you going Kyle? Kyle?"

The room was no longer silent as it buzzed with nervous chatter. All at once the panicking professor started to move in a flurry of activity. The frame lay forgotten on the floor as the blonde threw his belongings haphazardly into his briefcase.

"Class dismissed, go home!" he barked not really caring for his tone at the moment. The good doctor couldn't care less who he was offending or hurting at the moment. All he knew was that his gut churned horribly, something wasn't right. As a last minute thought he grabbed the broken picture frame thinking he might need it as evidence later. Evidence for what, he didn't even know- didn't even _want_ to know.

He practically ran to his Infiniti which was incontinently parked in the back of the lot. As he threw his car in reverse it occurred to him that maybe he should call for help. That thought stopped him dead in his tracks. If he called the police what was he going to say, he had a bad feeling? And if they came and it was a false alarm they would probably never take him seriously again.

Yuui worried his bottom lip between his teeth before another thought occurred to him. Before he had time to think it through he was calling a number he didn't ever think he'd use again. Kurogane's number along with everyone else's contact information was stored in his Evo. He didn't have the heart to delete it and he thanked his luck stars that he didn't. He put his phone on speaker as it started to ring so he could have his hands for driving the stick shift. The speed he was going allowed no margin for error, disregarding every stoplight and sign, he was surprised no one pulled him over yet. But as his eyes honed in on the road he was taken back to his days of messing around with street racing. Back then he'd earned a reputation and a few pink slips…

"Kurogane spe-"

"No time for formalities Kurogane I need your help!" Yuui snapped out of his thoughts instantly.

"Whoa, slow down and say that again. And who is this?

"It's Yuui, and I need you to get to my house right now, please it's an emergency." He pleaded, honest to god anxiousness coloring his voice.

The professor could already hear the man gathering his things on the other side while a scraping sound indicated that he was now up and making his way out the door.

"Professor, can you tell me what's going on?" His stern voice and willingness to listen eased Yuui's tension the slightest bit. He hurriedly explained what took place in the class room in hopes that the cynical officer would believe him.

"Dammit I knew something was up!" The wail of the siren almost over powered the voice on the other end.

"What do you mean? Did that lunatic tell you something?"

"No, calm down it's nothing like that. It's hard to explain and even then you may think I'm a certifiable nut."

"Wha-"

"I'm almost at your house, just a few blocks away, hang tight."

'Well I'm here already and I'm _not_ waiting around so meet me inside." Yuui didn't wait for an answer as he snapped his phone shut and pulled up in his driveway. Almost immediately his heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. His front door was wide open and Yuki's wails could be heard loud and clear.

His feet started running before his brain could catch up. Once he was inside the door a coopery scent assaulted his nose. The young psychologist knew that scent. He knew it because he was always sensitive to the scent of…

…blood .

Blood was _everywhere_.

And in front of him... In front of him lay his worst nightmare come to life.

In front of him… _she_ laid there staring at him though tearful pain filled eyes, her mouth open in a silent scream while a monster stabbed her over and over and _over_ again.

Yuui dove at him at once knocking the butcher knife free from his grip. In his blind rage he didn't register her gasp as the knife ripped out of her bleeding wound. He didn't register anything but that sick twisted smile, insane laughter, and the words that would haunt him to his grave and beyond.

"It's okay now Yuui we can be a family again, no one will ever love you as much as me…" Bloodied fingertips cupped his quickly paling face stroking gently. Yuui never felt the tears that ran down his face, he never felt the blood soaked knife under his shaking hands, and he never felt the knife sink into soft flesh over and over again. But he would remember it, he would remember it with vivid clarity when it all came rushing back to him tomorrow.

He was vaguely aware of the hands prying him free of the lifeless body that he couldn't stop stabbing. All he knew was one minute he was standing outside, and then the next minute he was strapped in the front seat with his son cradled firmly to his chest. Yuui looked next to him as the cop slid in wife in hand. His ears were ringing with the silence that deafened him.

Kurogane tied his button down shirt around her mid section as tight as he could to stop the blood flow, but he didn't dare lay her down in the back seat of his cruiser. God forbid something happen to her he'd never be able to reach her in time with the wire mesh divider n the way. So he positioned her in his lap cradling her gently as he took off towards the hospital radioing in her dire situation.

The raven haired cop must have broken every law there was in regards to driving and put several people in jeopardy with his frantic but skillful driving that day. The sirens only served as a temporary warning for those in his way,

Yuui's wife was dying, and in his heart Kurogane knew it all too well but his head just wouldn't accept it. He felt a slight pressure on his chest and glanced down briefly to see that the woman- no, Chii, had clutched at his wife beater weakly and looked up to study the man in front of her.

"Are you Kuro-ga-ne?" She strained to get out.

"Yes, please don't talk, save your energy you're going to need it." One glance at Yuui showed that he was still mostly unresponsive but he was still staring at them all the same.

"You ha-have su-such k-k-kind gen-tle e-eyes," her whisper was strained and her voice was rough but the gentle honesty shone through and through.

Never before had he been told such a thing. It left him even more choked up and guilt ridden then before. Her once vibrant eyes were dulling as the light slowly faded from them.

"K-keep the-them ha-ha-happ-y -nd s-safe pro-prom-ise me?"

"Sh-Ssshh, you'll be fine, you're gonna be okay." Kurogane slouched forward holding her in a protective embrace. Subconsciously he began to rock her back and forth not really knowing if he was trying to reassure her or himself.

"Prom-ise ph-please." Her desperation drained her as her eyes no longer stayed opened and her hands no longer held strength.

As she slipped into unconsciousness the cop could feel his heart beat increasing with the slowing of hers. It was almost as if he were stealing hers. And as irrational as the idea was it caused his heart to skip a painful beat. By the time he reached the emergency entrance a team was waiting outside for them equipment in hand. They wasted no time in hooking her up to the monitoring device while wheeling her in on the gurney. Her shirt along with his was hastily discarded .

"Hurry up we're losing her! Prep the defibrillator."

"Kami-sama please _save_ her!" Kurogane prayed for the first time in a long time. He didn't even notice that Yuui followed like a shadow still in a daze.

"Beep, Beep.. Beeeeeeppp…"

The doctors and nurses were moving fast but to the rookie's eyes time seemed to come to a near stop. He felt so far away, so detached that all sounds echoed as if they were muddled by water.

"Doctor there's no pulse she's flat lining!"

There was nothing else he could do he realized as he watched on hopelessly.

"What are the stats? Let's try one more time, CLEAR!"

Kurogane watched as her peace filled eyes locked on with his own heartbroken ones. For in that one moment of connection, he knew all too well that that would be her last honest gaze. And she had already come to terms and accepted it. Chii only had one last thing to secure before her time was up.

Once again without anyone guiding him to the answer, Kurogane knew what she wanted. She wanted to know that somebody would take care of her loved ones in her place. The angel like woman wanted to secure his _promise…_

"I promise…" His whispered conviction rang loud in his ears as he saw her smile what would be her last smile before her eyes slid shut.

All at once Yuui seemed to be jolted out of his state of suspended animation as image after image bombarded his fragile mind.

"Somebody- somebody please help her! PLEASE!" he cried out in distress.

They rounded a corner and all of a sudden there was a small mousy woman baring his way.

"Sir- sir I'm sorry but you'll have to wait out here.."

He glared spitefully at the suddenly terrified woman in front of him. Hatred tinted his sapphire orbs with dark indigo. Yuki being as young and aware of emotions as he was began to wail harder at the familiar aura of malice surrounding his father.

"Waahh waaahhh!"

The startling cry seemed to snap Yuui out of his destructive state of mind once again.

"Shhh, shhh baby mommy's gonna be alright. She's gonna be just fine…"

Kurogane had only left for a moment to report to his superior and relay important information. When told to come back the man adamantly refused stating that this case was more on a personal nature and he was need right where he was. He would log the account away later.

Kurogane returned to see the blonde psychology Professor in a royal mess. Yuki wouldn't calm down and it made Yuui feel like he was teetering on the edge of a knife. The cop didn't know what possessed him to do it but he went over to the two of them held out his arms and asked, "May I?"

Yuui clutched his baby tighter as if to protect him from the world before realizing that his little one was going horse from all the hollering he was doing. Reluctantly he relinquished hold on him. The young prodigy carefully took the child not sure exactly what to do. He wasn't really good with kids. He stared into troubled blue eyes and he felt for the first time in hours that maybe…perhaps things were going to be alright after all. Ruby eyes softened into liquid pools of affection.

"Shhh little one, everything'll be okay. I promise…" As if sensing the calmness around him Yuui gradually stopped crying with a few sniffles escaping him. Now he could do nothing but stare curiously into the liquid fire in front of him. His small chubby hands rose of their own accord, one gently placed itself on top of one gem like eye as the other landed on his cheek. He was fascinated by the color.

The raven haired cop was startled when he realized what was happening, that and something else he hadn't noticed before in all the commotion. He quickly but gently returned the child to his father.

Yuki worn out from the day's events fell asleep almost instantly. Yuui looked at him in question but was told to wait there for a minute before the man disappeared around the corner. A scant few minutes later Kurogane was back with two small tubs of water and several wash clothes.

The blonde realized with dread that they were bathed in the vile red substance. He helped the young Japanese man as he attempted to clean his son the best he could. He even got him a small gown to dress him in! Yuui faintly smiled a little to himself despite the situation. The gown was the smallest they had but it still fit him like an oversized dress. The raven surprisingly was the one to rectify the situation. He wrapped the sash around his tiny body twice before tying it in the front with a flourish making it resemble a kimono.

Yuui was the next to try and make presentable his visage. He wasted no time in discarding his now soiled oxford and wife beater undershirt. He stood bare chest unashamed and for the most part dazed. There was just no moving him from outside the surgery doors. The blond scrubbed furiously at what was quickly becoming raw skin until a firm hand gripped his own. The young cop gently took over without a word. It would have been awkward if they both weren't completely focused on Chi's condition. Yuui was now bloodless but he didn't feel clean. The professor quickly put on a scrub that the cop acquired from a nurse.

After picking his baby back up and resettling in his seat Yuui zoned out for an indefinite amount of time. When he came to he discovered that it was already late in the afternoon. Yuki laid awake but unmoving in his arms and his…his what? Student, cop, friend, occasional tease? He didn't really know, but Kurogane was in a fitful rest next to him nonetheless, lips twisted in a frown, and arms crossed protectively across a broad chest.

For the first time Yuui allowed his dulled blue eyes to trace the sharp angles of his handsome face. It looked different somehow this time. Of course nothing physically changed, but no longer did the word 'cute' seem to fit. There was a maturity and wisdom that just wasn't there before. Well there was that…and blood. Perhaps the prodigy was too tired to care or had simply forgotten, fact of the matter was it was there and it was driving the poor young professor near insanity to be reminded of his wife.

He spotted the discarded washcloth and bucket near him and made quick use of it. With Yuki in his lap, just as gently as Kurogane had cleaned him, the favor was returned. It was a wonder the usually sharp and alert man didn't so much as stir. Unfortunately he never had time to change his blood soaked shirt. Yuui had just finished cleaning his face when a doctor emerged from the opposing doors. He knew what was coming, oh god from the bottom of his heart he knew what was coming. But no matter how much he braced himself….

"I'm sorry Mr. Fluorite…."

…no matter how hard he prayed...

"…there were complications …"

…no matter how much he begged…

"…and she didn't make it."

…it just wasn't enough.

His heart flew into his throat and he felt his muscles contract involuntarily with the need to _do something,_ anything! Panic caused him to hyperventilate as he gripped Yuki just that much more harder. The baby's abused throat let out an unbelievable wail which instantly woke his sleeping savior.

Yuui's mind was shutting down on him. The surgeon was lying to him he had to be! He had to be because Yuui could hear her heartbeat loud and clear. Couldn't they? _'Can't you…'_

"…hear her heart beat? CAN"T YOU?"

"Waahhh Waahhhhhhhhhhh"

Seiryuu was red in the face and squirming in an effort to alleviate the pressure.

"Calm down Mr. Fluorite please!"

His heart raced as the day's events came rushing back. Reality came crashing down around Yuui swiftly and surely.

"Professor Fluorite? Professor Fluorite can you hear me? Quick he's going into shock grab the kid! Professor, Professor, come on snap out of it!" Kurogane's authoritative tone broke no room for argument. He made sure that the little boy was safe before taking a step forward.

"_**CHHHIII!" **_Without warning the raw gut wrenching yell ripped from his throat as he lunged for the door.

"YUUI!" Strong arms encircled the distraught man and drew him into a painful embrace in hopes of grounding him.

Yells of denial echoed though out the emptied hall. Yuui finally looked up and regretted it instantly. Tormented ruby colored eyes drowned him in a sea of blood. Over and over like a bad repeat horror film, it played again and again. He latched onto the sturdy figure in front of him and allowed himself to fall apart as his knees gave out from beneath him. It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair, Chii had done nothing wrong! She didn't do anything…

Yuui couldn't catch his breath, his head was spinning, and then there was nothing but darkness…

* * *

The rest was pretty much history from the moment he had woken up. Kurogane had spent weeks trying to cheer the depressed psychologist up. It wasn't any sort of obligation that made him do it either, just an overwhelming need to make sure that Yuui could function on his own without becoming an alcoholic. And after the third week of absolutely no response from the practically comatose man who only went through the motions of living for the sake of his son, Kurogane's patience ran out.

_So he gave Yuui his options, the ultimatum was an ugly truth that he couldn't come to terms with. It wasn't a shouting match that made him reevaluate his life. It was a very quiet, very regretful, very serious threat._

First he made sure that Seiryuu was asleep in another room so that the boy wouldn't get upset if he overheard any verbal altercations that might transpire when he came over on his lunch break. Yuui had resigned, unable to step foot in that classroom in which he uncovered a demon too evil to speak of.

"You have to snap out of it, this isn't healthy."

No response.

"Professor…"

A flinch…and then nothing. Apparently that title _still_ brought about great unease. Kurogane let out a sigh of frustration knowing that if what he had to say next didn't get the man's attention, nothing would.

"Mr. Fluorite I hate to say this but you need to hear it. You aren't taking care of yourself at all that much is obvious. However you're also not taking care of Seiryuu and that's where I have to draw the line. I can't allow you to neglect him the way you have been. He's just a kid, he needs love and attention, not to be bathe, fed, and put to lay in a cradle. If…If you don't get a hold of yourself then I'm going to have to call in child services by this weekend. I don't…" He never got a chance to finish as a lamp was flung viciously at his head. It missed him by half an inch and only because Kurogane had abnormally fast reflexes.

Within the next five minutes three very important observations would be made by the prodigious young cop. The first but certainly not trivial fact was that, Yuui Fluorite was fully capable of getting angry. The second was that the man most certainly knew his way around a dojo mat. His skills were second to none and he must have had several black belts under his belt. And the last one was never ever push him in a corner by threatening to separate him from his only son.

"Get out!" A well aimed punch landed in his side.

"How dare you!" A vicious kick marginally missed a raven head.

"I love him! You can't-" Yuui crouched low before springing forward.

"-have him! I won't let you!" Tears clouded blue eyes for the first time since he left Chii in her permanent resting place. After a few minutes Kurogane decided that Yuui had gotten the worst of it out of his system. And for the second time in three weeks he grabbed him in an unforgiving hug as the blonde struggled like a wild caged animal, screaming profanities that he never though himself capable of. When he realized that his attempts to escape were half-hearted and futile he slumped forward in defeat clinging to his lifeline.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered acknowledging and regretting everything all at once. His aloofness, his apathy, his neglect towards his beautiful baby boy, his uncontrollable fit, his misplaced rage and hatred, he apologized for them all. And Kurogane knew, because he didn't ask 'for what?' he just said in his soothing voice, "I know."

Yuui clutched him harder and let his tears fall without making a sound. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, a whisper of words was almost missed as they were muffled by the neck it was buried it.

"_Please help me_…"

"_Okay._" The single reply was the one that undoubtedly opened new doors and set their future in stone.

_Together with the help of Kurogane Yuui changed his name to Fai not even six months later, and a year afterwards found the couple happily married and relocating to have a fresh start._

…_.But Kurogane had a secret that he couldn't tell and Fai wouldn't push.

* * *

_

Fai gazed unseeingly into the darkness as the memories floated in and out of his conscious mind. Some lingered there for him to savor the either bitter or loving emotions that they invoked, while others flitted pass with no other purpose than to supply some sort of chronology to the events. He let himself look into his reflection and examine it with depreciating eyes. He didn't know why but something was incredibly wrong with it. The look in those eyes weren't one of self hatred but rather one of self appraisal and was that a smirk?

A fresh cup of steaming coffee was placed in front of him as warm arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind. Fai startled a little and blinked turning his head to view his other half. When he resumed his scrutiny of himself there was absolutely nothing wrong with the image. He frowned deciding that, yes, he needed sleep.

He finished his coffee which he discovered was mixed with a hint of whiskey to help him relax. It was god-awful tasting but it did the trick. When he finished the concoction Kurogane wordlessly placed the cup in the sink and picked Fai up carrying him to the couch in the moonlit sunroom area. It was then that the blonde noticed a makeshift bed of comforters and pillows on the plush couch. And amidst the cocoon of fluff was their son fast asleep. Of course Kurogane wouldn't leave Yuki alone for any amount of extended period of time when he could help it.

The wide couch made for the perfect bed as the three of them settled in for what promised to be a long night. Kurogane lay in a reclined position with his husband comfortably in between his legs and Yuki right along side of him on the broad chest. One would think that the cop's hard muscles were uncomfortable but surprisingly they were just the opposite.

Fai let his mind drift off again as tender, warm, graceful fingers slipped into his hair combing it gently.

"Was it _that_ nightmare again?" A soft inquisition caused the chest beneath him to rumble pleasantly.

"Yeah…" the whisper so soft that it drifted into the night almost seamlessly.

* * *

Four days had passed in a tense forced peace. Sakura and Syaoran calling in only to inform them that they had arrived safely back home. Fai was unusually docile but that may or may not have been because of his reoccurring nightmares. What Kurogane didn't know was that Fai couldn't shake the feeling of being constantly being watched. That and things always seemed to be moving from where he placed them. Particularly the things that they shared seemed to be meticulously separated. Fai had no idea _why_ or _when_ his husband picked up this habit but it was driving him up the wall.

Kurogane had taken the mood swings in stride and let his husband stew on his own for a few hours before gently coxing him back to bed. The sleepless nights were starting to take their toll and tempers were starting to flare barely being held in check due to their son's excitement. The only time they didn't seem to argue was when they were playing hide and seek, or finger painting, or lavishing their undivided attention upon their saving grace.

This was not what the blonde had in mind when he thought of a peaceful relaxing vacation. He wanted to ease his fears but nothing was helping at the moment. And then that stupid _stupid_ argument happened. He didn't mean to do or say the things he did but everything spiraled out of control so quickly! And it seemed regret had parked his ugly rear end firmly in the space between Fai's hollow feeling chest and over worked mind. When he thought about it, it was highly unlikely a fifth day would follow suit. If for no other reason than because he fully intended to make up for his careless caustic words witch hurt more than any physical wound would.

* * *

That morning had been particularly nasty outside. Fai made his way to his spacious kitchen with a sleepy baby boy tucked away on his hip with his head on his shoulder. Yuki seemed drained and Fai couldn't help but feel responsible for the boy's lack of sleep. In a way he felt as if his son was feeding off his sleep depraved miserable aura.

Fai honestly tried to seat Yuki at the island but the tired irritable boy would have none of it. He clung to his father like bur on a tree. Sighing, the chef went about making fresh brewed coffee with one hand. He couldn't however function for too long like this as he was rapidly tiring. Energy seeped out of him in waves and operating like normal wasn't an option.

With the kettle on the stove boiling and the coffee grounded for the mugs, the blonde decided to finish with his drink before breakfast began. Placing Yuki on the counter near the stove Fai turned around to retrieve the mugs from cupboard across the room. In that spilt second his world was given a violent shake. A harsh bark rang out with clear panic.

"SEIRYUU!"

A clang was heard and a wail ripped from the child's mouth soon followed. Faster than Fai could turn around his husband was across the room catching the bundle that was falling haphazardly to the floor. His socks did little to protect his feet from the boiling water now generously coating the granite however.

"Shit-shit-shit!" Kurogane hopped from foot to foot in order to cool his burning soles, all the while trying to calm Yuki down.

"Oh God Kurogane are you alright? Is Yuki hurt? Here let me see!" A dread filled blonde led his husband to a chair where he could quickly strip off the offending garments and prop the feet up on another chair. The flesh was an angry pink color but thankfully it would not blister.

"What the hell were you thinking Fai? Do you know how dangerous that was? He could have gotten seriously burned or broken his arm or a whole list of things that I don't even want to think of right now!"

The frazzled raven did his best to calm down but his heart was still racing. He honestly didn't mean to snap at his husband. Fai was probably berating himself six million ways to Sunday right about then. But he couldn't help it, when he was scared he tended to raise his voice out of habit. When he was on the field it was a different story. Out there he knew control was the difference between life and death. In his own home though, fear was an emotion that he wasn't accustomed to so he reacted to it defensively.

"I'm sorry I only turned my back for a second I swear. I didn't think he would…" trailing off Fai felt guilty for a moment before his defensive side kicked in.

"You know instead of yelling at me you could have taken him off my hands in the first place. I have to cook and you know that he's clingy right now. It was an accident for Christ sake!"

"I know, I know, sorry. Look its okay love you need to relax. This vacation has been stressful for you so I called you in to extend your leave. You can't handle any more stress right-"

"Why the hell would you do that without consulting with me first? Sakura can't handle things all by herself it's too much work!" Fai slammed the coffee cups down before turning his angry gaze towards his husband.

"I called her first before requesting your time. I know you're the boss but I'm not stupid enough to think that a business can run without proper management. Sakura said she'd be more than willing to handle the workloa-"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point? And will you stop cutting me off before I finish my sentences!" Kurogane yelled back feeling as if this was a senseless argument.

"The point is she shouldn't have to burden herself with my responsibilities just because you decided that you wanted a little more time to laze around! Jesus Kurogane you're an adult now. Grow up and act like one. The world doesn't stop turning just because you decided that I need a little more down time."

"Well ex-fucking-cuse me for thinking that I didn't want you to run yourself into the ground!" He growled out unmindful of his language in front of his son for the first time.

"Since when do you care about anybody but yourself you selfish ass! This vacation was your goddamn idea! You're nice when it suits you but then you throw us aside when we don't fit into your schedule like we're nothing but annoyances to you!" Fai didn't mean to let that come out. He knew that marrying Kurogane meant that the man would have to leave his home on emergency calls. It's wasn't his choice to make. And the raven never tossed them aside he was just a very secluded person who had only ever recently learned to open up to his loved ones.

He knew all that yet he couldn't stop. It was like the flood gates were opened for the second time in his life and he couldn't stop it, even if his husband sat there in stunned silence. "And Since when do you get to decide what I can and what I can't handle?"

"Since 'when' you put our kid in a dangerous position with your state of mind!"

"_Our_ kid?" he spat.

Fai caught his slip almost immediately, regret and dismay instantly wreaking havoc inside. He never meant to take it this far. "Wait I didn't mean-"

"-I'm going to go to work. When your brain decides to reconnect to your mouth or your conscious kicks your ass a good one, whichever comes first, you let me know. We'll talk then." He interrupted sharply without even looking at the distraught man.

"Work? You got a call? When? You can't your on leave!" The blonde couldn't stop babbling as he frantically tried to think of something to make him stay. Kurogane recognized the emotion for what it was but he couldn't take the verbal assault without defending himself. And that would have been counterproductive.

With a heavy sigh he looked down at the quivering boy in his arms. He'd been surprisingly quite, or maybe not considering that he'd never heard his parents yell at one another before. Yuki simply didn't know what to do. So he closed his eyes and buried his head in his safe place wishing that it would all go away.

"Hey chibi there's no reason for you to be scared. Tou-san's sorry he didn't mean to yell." Kurogane gently smoothed out Yuki's hair. "I'm going to go away for a little bit and when I come back everything is going to be okay again-"

"N-No Tou-san don' go'way! Pwease don'go!" the little blonde clung desperately to his dad.

"Sh-shh, don't worry I'll come back. I promise I'll come back but right now I have to go to work. Just for a little while okay?" The raven gently lifted Yuki's chin so that he could see the sincerity in his eyes. Without really understanding the chibi nodded before giving one last hug and kiss climbing off the lap he was occupying.

Kurogane had a weird sense of Déjà Vu as he looked at Fai standing there with his hand clutched to his chest and his vision obscured by his golden locks of hair. He sighed again before placing his feet on the floor, wincing as the cool granite met the tender skin. The small reaction was not loss on the other occupant of the room and he balked at the thought that he was the cause of it.

The cop stopped in front of his spouse for a moment to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. That was all. No words were spoken and Fai felt his heart speed up as Kurogane got dressed and left him there without so much as a glance. At sound of the door closing, Fai stumbled to a chair sitting harshly in it.

"Why did you make Tou-san go 'way?" Yuki's soft voice carried in the quite atmosphere startling his father.

"I'm sorry I didn't…." How many times did he apologies? A world of good that did him when he made the same mistake over and over again. He vaguely recalled something Kurogane had told him once. _"Sorry means that you understand that you made a mistake and you'll try your hardest not to do it again. To apologies when you know you'll do it again purposefully or not is insulting to the one it's intended for." _It was the reason why he scarcely used the word, and Fai respected that.

Yuki watched as his father cleaned the kitchen before once again trying to make breakfast. He noticed that there was only enough for him and couldn't help but wonder why his Tou-chan wasn't eating.

* * *

Kurogane stared lifelessly at the road in front of him. Getting out of the house was the only way he could think of for letting everybody calm down. Yuuko had texted him seeming as she couldn't get though with his number. She needed him for an ongoing case that had yet to be solved. His thoughts drifted back to his husband and his rather foul mood this morning. It was so unlike the cheerful carefree blonde that Kurogane worried that his brilliant idea for a vacation was a colossal mistake.

As he was brooding, the gray sky finally opened up and a downpour drenched everything in sight as if to mock him. _'Great just when I thought things couldn't get any worse…' _A flash of lightning and a roar of thunder proved him wrong yet again. He wondered briefly if the horrible churning in his gut meant that he was going to die in some fantastically horrible road accident. _'Maybe I should have stayed home…Yuuko has the shitest timing ever I swear!'

* * *

_

(Cue music- Creepy Music Box)

Fai sat curled up in his plush couch wrapped in a fleece blanket with his son watching a movie. Well they tried to watch the move but the bad weather outside kept them distracted. It had been little less than an hour since Kurogane left the house and Fai was guilt tripping himself to hell and back. As the TV droned on in the background, the relative silence was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Fai looked at it curiously wondering for a second who it could've been seeing as they hadn't really given the number to anyone sans the Li family.

He leaned over the couch arm trying not to disturb his son cuddling in his lap. "Hello?" Fai carefully avoided giving out any information at all. If it was a telemarketer he wanted to avoid confirming their residency of the house. If it was his husband or children then they would already know who hell they were calling in the first place.

"…_Sigh…"_

"Hello? Who is this?" Narrowing his eyes at the heavy breathing on the other side of the line, Fai demanded his identity once again. For it certainly was a 'he', the blonde didn't know any women that had that strange rasp to their breath.

For a moment there was no answer and then a haunted voice ghosted across his in a vile caress, "…_Yuui-"_

Fai had disconnected the call before anymore could be said. He was disturbed. No one currently involved with his life had known that name but his spouse. Kurogane wouldn't _dare_ call him that name. He knew what kinds of nightmares that name dredged up due to holding him through most of them. He may have been upset but he wasn't that cruel was he? Fai didn't know what to think, he knew he was mad but he was almost certain that his raven haired lover hadn't left the house hating him if that kiss goodbye was anything to go by. _'Obviously I was being delusional if this is how he's going to react.' _

(Cue Music- Nox Arcana Annabel Lee)

The former psychologist didn't know how to take this weird development. On one hand he knew he deserved whatever the cop dished out to him. His words had cut deep and he more than anybody understood that words could be more painful than any physical wound. But at the same time to try and hurt him like that left him reeling. Fai started trembling unable to find an emotion outlet to latch onto. He was torn between being heartbroken and furious.

Yuki noticed the tremors and his attention was ripped from the movie he was trying to make sense out of. "Tou- chan wha's wong?" Worried big blue doe eye's searched the oddly blank one in front of him.

"Nothing love I'm just cold." Fai smiled at him reassuringly before pulling him close. The phone rang again, once, twice, three times and the blonde took a deep breath before answering it again.

"Hello?"

"…_.Yuui don't hang up-"_

"You bastard," growling the words softly, his mind was made up, _'Pissed off it is then'_.

"Where the hell do you get off calling me tha-"

"_I missed you so much precious."_

Blood that was furiously pumping in his veins one moment froze almost instantaneously at the sound of that wretched petname. Another thing that his husband avoided like the plague was calling him _that_ name out loud. While it was an unspoken truth that his family was the most precious thing to him, the cop also knew that besides being a sickeningly sweet nickname, it was taboo. Fai almost choked on the air he tried to suck into his oxygen deprived lungs, he forgot to breathe for a moment.

Why? Why was everything reminding him of that devil incarnate at the moment? It was his fault that everything went wrong in the first place, and even dead and gone he was causing problems for the distraught man.

"Don'- don't you dare call me that! What's wrong with you today? It's one thing after another with you all of a sudd-"

"_It's okay now I fixed it like I promised. We can finally be together."_

All at once a sickening memory assaulted his frazzled mind._ "Don't worry precious I'll fix this. You won't have to worry anymore…." _Fai let out a choked sob; realization hit him like a truck. He wasn't listening properly before but something had been off about the speaker besides the obvious. His husband's voice was rich and velvety, there was no 'rasp' to his voice. In fact this one wasn't even deep enough to impersonate-

'_No…he's dead, dead men don't make phone calls!'_

"Kurogane stop! Please stop, you're scaring me!" Fai clutched the phone to his ears begging silently for the cruel joke to be over and done with.

"_Suwa won't be bothering us anymore, You're mine no-" _click.

Fai couldn't take it anymore. When the phone rang for the third time, the landline found itself being furiously ripped out and smashed against the wall. Yuki let out a startled cry before clinging to his father. Even though he was the cause of his fear, he was also his only refuge at the moment.

"I wan' Tou-san! I wan' Tou-san! Pwease, pwease make Tou-san com' home, I'm scawed!" The chibi didn't know why he was scared but there was a funny little feeling churning in his belly that he hated. He hated it almost as much as he hated being scared.

"Shh,-Sshhh baby it's alright I've got you. Tou-chan's sorry, he's sorry there's nothing to be afraid of." As the older blonde continued to coddle his child he briefly wondered if he could convince himself of that as well. He wanted his husband to wrap them in his arms and hide them away from the world, but his safe place didn't seem so safe anymore.

* * *

It had taken Kurogane less than an hour to reach his headquarters. Halfway through the drive he said, '_Screw it if something happens, it'll probably be because I wasn't driving fast enough.' _The only reason he hadn't driven himself off the road despite the weather, was because he knew every turn on this highway like the back of his hand.

"Kurogane-san what are you doing here? You aren't due back yet from your leave." Syaoran's curious gaze trailed after the man as he stomped his way to Yuuko's office. Something wasn't right. Syaoran hurried to follow after the taller man without prompting. He knew he wasn't overstepping his boundaries, it was expected that they would be there for each other no matter what the issue was.

Not pausing to wait for his kid to catch up knowing that he would, Kurogane growled, "The old hag called me in for one of our open cases."

Syaoran had no idea what his partner was talking about. Surely Yuuko wouldn't be handling their case without informing him first. Before he could voice this Kurogane was already barging into the open office door.

"You wanted to see me Witch?"

Yuuko looked up startled for a moment before a sly grin crossed her sinful lips. "What you couldn't handle vacation anymore so you came in early? In that case I have a lot for you to get started on he-"

"What the hell are you talking about you called me here!" Accusing irritated ruby colored eyes glared at her.

"When the hell did I do that and for what reason?" A delicate eyebrow arched as she examined her officer with a critical eye.

"This morning! You practically blew up my phone and when I missed your calls you messaged me." Irritation was quickly rising as shoulders tensed.

"No I didn't, I was doing paperwork since I got here. And what would I message you about? All inquiries are to be treated as confidential and as such texting isn't practical. You know that."

"Yes. You. Did. You told me that you needed help on one of our case…" Kurogane trailed off as the wheels in his head started to turn. Since when did Yuuko work on their cases? Wouldn't Syaoran be the one to call him if anything? Furthermore why was this only crossing his mind now? Had his argument with Fai turn him about that badly?

"Let me see your phone." Yuuko's tone was as demanding as the situation registered with her.

"What?"

"Let me see the message and missed calls I left you."

The cop needed no other prompting as he quickly surrendered his mobile phone. As he handed if off to his supervisor thoughts were racing across his mind quicker than he could catch. It was making his head spin, and his stomach do violent flips.

Yuuko stared as the ravens phone in disbelieve. There, as plain as day, was an impressive amount of missed calls and a text message that could've gotten her in trouble for breaking protocol. Vaguely she entertained the thought of someone playing a joke on the uptight workaholic. But then how did they get her phone? That thing was practically glued to her hip. Intense red eyes nearly burned a hole in the plastic as if staring at it would give her an answer. After a minute of harsh contemplation, it struck her.

"Kurogane, that's not my number…."

"What?" a breathless whisper.

"This number you have saved under my name isn't mine."

The raven's heartbeat nearly tripled in speed upon hearing that. Kurogane had used her number up until the day he'd left. So how…

Fai. Fai was the only one with access to his phone. But even as a joke this seemed beyond the chef's odd sense of humor.

Syaoran seemed to know what the raven was thinking before he even said it. His lips turned down as his amber eyes searched the face in front of him. "It wasn't him. You know it wasn't him. No matter how silly some of his pranks are none of them has ever hurt anyone, or crossed the line."

Kurogane took in a slow shallow breath before responding. "I need to make a call, gimmie a minute."

He left the office before anymore questions could be asked. Finding a secluded spot he quickly dialed his husband's cell and hoped that he would pick up. On the fifth ring e got his wish.

"What do you want?" The voice was slightly hysterical, but otherwise pissed off on the other end.

"Is that anyway to answer your damn phone idiot?" His headache was morphing into a migraine.

"Idiot? _Idiot?_ Did you get tired of screwing with me already bastard?"

Kurogane's patients went out the window, "What the fuck are you talking abou- "

"Don't lose your goddamn temper with me you asshole!" The voice little more than seethed.

He didn't have time for this crap. He thought that with ample time they would both cool down. Apparently not, cutting his husband off he gritted out without preamble, "Why did you mess with my phone?"

"What? The hell are you talking abo-"

"You switched Yuuko's number in my phone. That's a federal offence. Do you know how much trouble you could get in for messing with my work phone?"

"I didn't _touch_ your goddamn phone." Dimly, Kurogane registered the amount of foul words they were trading. It had been a truly long time since their last real argument and the raven wasn't looking forward to this one.

"Fai there's no one else there, are you suggesting that Seiryuu did it?" Losing his steam the tired officer pressed his thumb and forefinger harshly against his closed eyes. He was tired of this already.

"No, did you ever think that maybe _you _did it? After all those stupid calls you'd think that you were trying to be innocent."

"What calls I didn't make any calls I just got here!" He practically barked.

"Don't play innocent you called the house phone-"

"I don't even have the house number stored yet how could I call you?" The pit in Kurogane's stomach was growing.

"Yes you do! Who else would call me that?" The panic-stricken note was back in the blonde's tone.

"Ca-calm down, call you _what_? You're going to need to explain. And before you go into fits of denial, Yuuko had my phone she could vouch for there being no outgoing calls."

The cop could hear the slightly harsh intakes of air as Fai tried to regulate his breathing, "You-you-you called me…_Yuui."_

Ill, Kurogane felt physically ill as the nausea bubbled up from his stomach. "I _never_ call you that love. Listen to me I need you to start from the beginning okay?" The raven was already making his way back to Yuuko's office. Once there he continued his directions.

"I'm going to record this conversation just in case we need it for evidence. Don't panic baby, just stay on the phone with me. You say he's been calling the house phone right, so start at the beginning. If he calls again I want you to pick up the house phone and try to keep him on it for a few minutes. Can you do that for me? I'll be right here on this line, I promise. "

Kurogane could practically see him nod through the phone clutching at it, "Yes."

Not fifteen minutes later their house phone rang and what they heard most definitely shaved ten years off the cop's life.

_He had a secret, and now it was coming back to haunt them both.

* * *

_

Fai sat in an awkward position. His son was safely nestled in between his crossed legs and he had two phones glued to either of his ears. One he clutched like a lifeline, and the other shook so violently that it almost slipped from his grasp several times. He knew he was in denial but he wasn't the only one so it was okay.

When Kurogane quietly whispered that the phone trace was done he wasted no time in smashing the kitchen phone as well.

"Love listen to me very carefully," the voice on the other end was shaky at best. He could hear as his husband opened and closed a door unmindful of the voices screaming at him to wait in the background.

"I need you to take Seiryuu and go into his bedroom. Barricade the door with the dresser I'll be there as fast as I can. I-(KUROGAANNNEEE-) _beeeepppppp….."_

Fai stared at the wall unmoving as the dead ringtone echoed in his head before that too went silent.

* * *

(A few minutes earlier)

Kurogane listened as his worst nightmare came to pass. He wouldn't say it out loud though. He wouldn't dare voice it and make it truth. But he prayed to a god that he didn't believe in to protect his family. To protect his _life_.

He was unmindful of anything or anyone else as he stared at the monitor in front of him. He watched as the towers triangulated the calls, when the process yield its results he thought he died as his heart stopped for a few painful beats.

_The monster was in the house. _

Everything felt surreal in that moment. He couldn't remember the conversation, he couldn't remember the flurry of activity as Yuuko jumped up and barked orders to everyone present, and he couldn't even remember the hands grabbing at him as he ran to his car. All his mind registered was that he had forgotten his keys and as he turned to run inside for them. Somewhere in the fog of his scattered subconscious a faint ticking could be heard. He had barely taken two steps from the car before the ticking stopped and a horrified Syaoran could be seen running toward him an inhuman screech torn from his throat.

"**KUROGAANNNEEEEE!"**

He felt the heat sear his skin as the explosion engulfed him. Pain was all he knew as his world was engulfed in blissful darkness.

* * *

Fai thought that he would pass out from the sheer force of emotions that gripped his heart in an iron fist. If it weren't for the clutching babe in his lap he knew he would've had a nervous breakdown.

That was _**not**_his husband getting fatally wounded.

That was _**not**_Syaoran screaming like his life just ended.

That was _**not**_the sound of an explosion stealing yet another important person away.

The blonde drew in quick shallow breaths before doing what he did best. He lied to himself. He lied and made a mental wall so thick nothing short of bomb raid would tear it down. He schooled his expression and leveled his breathing more determined than ever to follow directions. His husband would never forgive him if he let harm befall either himself or their treasured son.

(Cue Music - When Darkness Falls - Nox Arcana)

Wrapping Yuki in a bundle, he gave him a tremulous smile as he rose from the couch on unsteady legs. "We're going to play a little game now okay musuko?"

"O.k Tou-chan," He received a hesitant nod before continuing a soothing monologue that served as a distraction for the child.

"T-Tou-san wants us to play hide and seek until he gets home. We're going to hide together and he-he's going to find us m'kay?" Fai stumbled across the sentence having to remind himself that his lover was OK and that he had the devils luck. And that if Kurogane had taught him nothing else than it was that he had to be strong.

"Wen will Tou-san be home?" one curious big blue eye peeked from his cocoon.

"Sshh baby soon, but we can't make any noise. You know how good Tou-san's hearing is. He'll hear us half a mile away if we make any noise." With an awe inspired grin and a childish giggle Yuki buried his head once again taking the words for gospel truth. His worries though not gone, were eased into something more bearable for the five year old.

Venturing forward once again, Fai placed his foot on the wooden floor of the hallway. It groaned ominously causing him to flinch. Realizing quickly that his steps weren't quiet enough, the blonde shed his slipper and tip-toed across the floor straining his ears to hear over the raging squall outside. The lights flickered threatening to go out at any given moment. Sweat began to collect at his brow bone and he went as fast as he dared.

Without warning the lights flickered violently before they went out leaving the wary man in the dark corridors illuminated now only by eerie sporadic lightning.

Cursing silently Fai made his way through the dark, senses on overdrive to compensate for his limited sight. He carefully scanned the hall looking for any sign of an intruder. What he found almost made his pass out where he stood. On the hallway table stood a picture that had no home there prior. It was _that _picture. The smashed frame stood proudly, mocking him in all its hated glory, against the empty table top. The pictures of his family were nowhere to be seen.

He struggled to breathe quietly through his nose as his increasing heart rate made it nearly impossible.

"_I've been waiting for you Yuui…"_

A chill raced up his spine as that terrifyingly familiar voice echoed hollowly around him. Yuki tensed in his hands before clinging to him tighter and whispering pathetically. "Tha's not Tou-San."

Fai threw himself against the closest wall and surveyed the area with guarded wild eyes.

"_What's the matter Precious you don't look happy to see me." _

He bit his tongue to hold in his bitter retort as he slowly crept along the wall away from the mocking voice. Fai could almost picture the sneer accompanying that voice.

It wasn't lost on him that he was moving away from his destination. The former psychologist ran several different scenarios through his head. All outcomes looked bleak at best. _'How is this possible?…'_

"You're dead, I killed you myself." Finally daring to open his mouth his voice shook, still not believing, still unable to comprehend.

"_It's okay Precious I forgive you. You were confused. I know you didn't mean to harm me. I've come to take you home now."_

A chocked whimper was all Fai could get past his closed throat, _"Kyle."_

The sound of glass breaking caused both blondes to sharply turn to the hallway they just retreated from.

(Cue Music- Nevermore- Nox Arcana)

"Shit!" Throwing caution to the wind Fai started to run back to the main area of the house completely unmindful of the noise he was making.

He whipped his cell phone out but was left confused when he received no reception on his phone. _'He must be jamming the signal somehow.' _Was the only thought that came to him at the moment.

Rounding the corner back into the living room Fai braced himself against the wall yet again. Peering around the corner he could see nothing visible coming his way.

He heard a faint crying coming from his chest and realized that his son couldn't handle much more of this without falling apart. Fai was honestly impressed with how long he held out in the first place. And he worried if this would leave any mental scars on the easily impressionable mind. If it did, the ex-psychologist swore up and down that he was gonna drag that sonuvabitch to hell himself.

"No, no chibi sshhh don't cry. I'm right here and there is nothing to be afraid-"

"He's comin' fow me! I tow'l you he'd com' fow me!"

Suddenly a brief memory resurfaced, and Fai regretted not pushing for answers before. **'…e'll come fow me…'**

"Yuki do you know him?"

"Hai, he tow'l me he'd com' fow me an' fow you at Saowon Oji-chan's howse."

The sound of yet something else breaking caught his attention and didn't allow for anything more to transpire between the two. He skulked across the room and slipped into the hall that led to the pool area. Once again without warning the dim lights flickered back on. For the first time Fai found himself cursing the glass walls, they allowed little to no room for privacy. There were only so many rooms with solid walls to keep prying eyes out.

The soft glow of the blue water lit the angelic features of the man in an unholy glow as he entered the pool room. Sweat was pouring down the sides of his face by now but still there was no sign of the intruder.

"_You keep running from me and yet there is nothing left to stand in our way darling."_

The deep voice ghosted the air, yet again it had no concrete direction in which it came from.

"Shut-up my _husband_ won't like what you're implying! He-"

"_He's dead now. It was so easy getting rid of a simpleton like him. I watched you while you slept you know…You're such a __**passionate**__ lover," _the voice purred, "_I simply needed to get him out of the house. So I waited until you were asleep in the living-room before switching the numbers out in his phone. I knew he would go running for work. Then it was all a matter of getting rid of him without chance of survival. So I blew up the car."_

A sick feeling filled his stomach at the admission. He didn't know if he felt more violated at being watched by the voyeur during the act of love making. Or sick at finding out that his suspicions were confirmed about his husband. Blue eyes scanned the room relying on the underwater lights to provide adequate lighting. As his eyes flitted past the doorway his smiling reflection gazed back. They paused not a moment later to replay the last few moments in slow motion.

There were a few notable points between then and now. The first was, when he walked into the pool room, he didn't shut the door…. The second was, he wasn't smiling. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Third…His blood turned to ice…he didn't have a mirror in that doorway.

Slowly turning his head, dread took up lodging someplace firmly between his heart and his stomach.

The smiling face was still there, only this time it spoke in a mocking sing-song fashion.

"I fooouuund youuuu"

"**AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" **Fai hadn't even been aware that that screech had come from him until his twisted mirror image spoke to him.

"What's the matter Yuui don't you recognize me?"

"Y-Y-YOU WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?"

"What you told me to do, don't you remember?"

Fai slowly backed away as his dark other advanced forward almost prowling. It all made sense now the feeling of being watched, those odd moments when he wondered who truly was looking back at him when his reflection lied. He wasn't losing his mind he was'n….

"**I N-NEVER-!" **

"Yes you did, you said, and I quote, "_My family is perfect! I have a loving wife a beautiful son, and they have me! __**They only need me**__, __**my son only needs one father **__and he already has one!"_ Do you remember now? You said our son didn't have need for two fathers _only you._ So I listened, I became you so that we could be together don't you see!" The maniacal glint in Kyle's eye hadn't dulled with age instead it grew wilder and more unpredictable.

"There was never any room for that bastard! You said so yourself. He forced himself on you. I know he did! But you don't have to worry anymore because he'll never bother us again." Forcing himself to ignore the words Fai slowly untangled his son from the sheets and set him down on unsteady legs.

"Baby I need you to listen to me again, okay?" Blue eyes never left the threatening figure before him as he got on level with his son, "Daddy's going to come home and play hide and seek with you. Do you remember where you like to hide from Daddy?"

"Y-yes but I-I-I do-don' wanna p-pway anymor'!"

"SEIRYUU YUKI FLUORITE SUWA DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!"

Catching his temper before it could flare once more in his fright he begged his son in his most apologetic tone. "I'm sorry, m'so sorry, please chibi _please_ go play!"

Thoroughly scared Yuki turned to run but was stopped dead in his tracks at the face that greeted him.

"It's not me love, don't look at him! Don't even look at him just run and hide. You wouldn't want to disappoint Tou-san would you?"

Nodding furiously the boy made to run past the bad reflection but was stopped yet again by a rough had grabbing his shoulder.

"Where are you going son? Daddy wants to talk to you before we play okay?" Yuki struggled uselessly for a second.

"LEM'ME GO! LEM'ME GO! YO'RE NOT MY DADDY! MY DADDY DOSEN' HWURT ME!" A swift kick to the knee was all it took to surprise the double into letting him go.

With a growl Kyle lunged forward to grab the child but was stopped by a solid blow to the back of his head as a drop heel-kick caught him off guard.

"Don't touch my fuckin' kid you bastard! And you're NOT MY HUSBAND!" Fai growled heatedly with no warning. No one, absolutely no one had any right to lay their hand on his child except him and his spouse. And neither one of them would even entertain the thought!

Righting himself rather quickly Kyle threw himself at Fai with a wild cry, "YYUUUIIII!"

What took place on the floor couldn't even have been classified as a fight. The scuffle was short and vicious. Yuui having trained in martial arts, had the upper hand but Kyle being the more aggressive one didn't let Yuui get his bearings for a second. If he had it would have been all over in an instant. Instead they grappled on the floor trying to overpower each other. Fai was winning, but Kyle in a desperate move played dirty. Grabbing the first thing his hand came in contact with laying about, powdered soap, he flung it in the blonde's eye.

Momentarily blinded, all he could feel was when his body was tackled into the pool and his head being forcefully submerged. He fought hard against his assailant but being unable to see limited his motions. He felt himself grow light headed and faint the longer he was held down. Opening his eyes he watched his blurry outline above him shout out obscenities that he could no longer hear. In a split second he surged forward and shot his hand out of the water and into an unsuspecting eye. Fai felt the sickening squelch as his finger penetrated the eye without fully meaning to.

Finally able to reemerge he took gasping breaths of air, not pausing any longer he grabbed the screaming man's head and drove it into the tiled wall. Kyle stopped moving and floated lifelessly in the water. Without bothering to check for life Fai scrambled out of the pool and slowly stumbled his way out of the room. His vision was beginning to clear, though his eyes still burned from the abuse. Physically Fai was exhausted, having missed several days worth of rest and then being forced to fight in a brawl he had no business getting injured in, in the first place was taxing.

Quick to find his bearings, the weary man made his way to the kitchen blanket in hand. He stopped in front of a little inconspicuous vent buried in the wall and stooped down before of it. Opening it, it revealed his baby clutching at his ears and sobbing helplessly. Fai wasted no time in pulling Yuki out, rewrapping him, and cradling him to his chest whispering over and over how much he loved him.

He was breathing so hard he thought he'd never get enough air into his body.

_**CRASH**_

The sound had his head snapping up in an instant. Just what the _fuck_ was this guy? Why the bloody hell wouldn't he die?

Fai crawled across the kitchen floor burden in hand, not will to stand up and be seen if the lunatic was still there. He tucked himself between the barstools and tried to collect himself.

'Pant…pant… gasp….'

'Pant…pant… gasp….'

_Surreal that was the situation… _

'Pant…pant…gasp…'

Harsh intakes of breath filled the air as the one responsible struggled vainly to keep the erratic noise to a minimum.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this!…_

Another crash resounded through the poorly lit room as the storm of the century raged on beyond the confines of what had now become a glass prison. The urgent need to suppress his heavy breathing and irregular heartbeat was now more prominent than before.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this at a_ll…

A small whimper was heard before it was quickly silenced by frantic hands trying to prevent any other sounds from escaping. The two figures huddled together between the barstools underneath the protection of the granite countertop leading into the kitchen.

"Come now Yuui I just wanna talk. Is that such a-"…..crash…"-_bad_ thing?" A lamp was thrown across the room in hopes of startling his prey out of hiding. He only succeed in causing the blonde to finch before retracting further into his hiding place with his precious bundle. The man's tone was constantly switching between growling, hysteria, and cajoling.

"I've been searching for you for so long now love won't you at least FREAKIN' SPEAK TO ME? Where's our baby Yuui? I wanna see our baby! YOU CAN'T KEEP HIM FROM ME! GOD FUCKING DAMN YOU!"

At the sound of a whimper, the intruders head cracked sharply to the side.

"_Damnit!"_ A soft hiss rang out before being muffled by the loud booming thunder and the sharp crack of lightning. Before the intruder was able to take another step further the lights went out.

Fai was at a loss of what to do now. Short of killing the man it seemed that nothing was going to stop him. He only had a moment more to make his decision before the crashing and screaming came closer than before.

"ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS LOVE YOU! YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME LOVE YOU YUUI! I COULD HAVE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING YOU'D EVER DREAM OF!" Kyle went quiet for a moment and there was an awkward pause left hanging in the air before he decided to rampage again.

Fai waited all of five minutes before deciding that it was safe to crawl around back into the kitchen again. Not bothering to put Yuki down, the blonde knelt before the island where his knife block was located and grabbed the butcher knife. He spent the next fifteen minutes playing the dead-mans version of Marco-Polo. It was a simple game, the closer the bastard called from the further away he ran. His only tell tale traces were the wet spots he left behind, but in the dark that was hardly an issue.

In the end it was his own carelessness that gave him away. Or perhaps it was unavoidable. Unable to clearly see where he was going Fai's foot met with the razor-sharp remains of a once antique porcelain vase. With a sharp cry he staggered backwards on one foot, the gash was deep. The sound of footsteps drawing closer forced him to stagger forward, his only retreat option left was the sunroom.

"What's the matter Yuui don't you want to play anymore? I forgive you precious. I'll forgive you if you just come to-" The soft caressing whisper on the back of his ear stopped him cold, _"-me."_

Without warning the blonde let his son slip to the ground as he whirled, knife lashing out only barely slicing across the heaving chest.

"RUN SEIRYUU!"

Not waiting for Kyle to rein in his shock, Fai tried to lunge foreword again. A pause ensued as a pained hiss was drawn from clenched teeth, and that was all the clone needed to launch his counter attack. With limited mobility once again hindering him, there was little else he could do but defend himself. He vaguely registered the blood dripping down Kyle's face, or the ruined empty eye socket that stared at him with a greedy need lurking behind empty depths. (_Later, that face would bring light to new nightmares all together.)_

Somehow or another the voracious man wrestled the Knife from Fai and attempted to bury it in his chest.

"We could have had a good thing together! We could have been a happy family…_grunt_… I could have taken…_gasp_… g-good care of you!"

Words seemed to forever be lost on the defensive father. With the blood rushing in his ears and his adrenaline on high output, Fai was certain that what Kyle had to say was nothing he wanted to hear.

Catching a break, Kyle was once again stunned as the heel of Yuui's palm thrusted up and broke his nose. Taking that moment to run, Fai hobbled to the best of his ability down the corridor to the sunroom.

As fast as he moved, that bastard was faster. His looming presence drained all hope as the dark room grew closer and closer. This was hell and there was no escaping it.

The hopeful voice garbled through his broken voice, "We could get married Yuui, settle down, send Yuki to school just like we always wanted! We would never be apart aga-"

"His name is Fai." The dark voice echoed from behind him.

"And he's already married you sick fuck." The one in front of him however sounded like…

**BANG!**

_This was it…_

_**BANG!**_

_This was how it ended…_

_**BANG! **_

_It was all over now…_

Fai barely registered as the 40 caliber, Glock 22's clip was emptied in the torso and head of his nightmare with unerring precision. If there was any shock at seeing the face he was ending the life of it didn't show in the hard glint of ruby red eyes.

He didn't dare look back because standing in front of him, son in hand, was… _"Kurogane…"_

Not caring _how_. Not caring _why_, the blonde stumbled forward nearly falling. His saving grace was those warm arms that wrapped around him. He sobbed helplessly now that he felt safe to do so. The swarming police squad in the background went unnoticed. But the light touch on his shoulder and warm worry filled brown eyes didn't escape his frazzled mind. He pulled Syaoran to his chest and buried himself from the world, finally, _finally_ feeling safe.

* * *

_Later when the drama calmed down, Fai would learn that Kyle wasn't only gunned down from the front but also from the back, courtesy of his pissed off son. He would also learn that Kurogane had known of the missing body of Kyle from the crime scene for quite some time now. But not wanting the blonde to live in constant fear so he shouldered the burden himself. In hind sight it really was for the best, if the past few days had been any indication, a tired stressed chef was an unbearable one. Having to live that many years with him in that constant snapping phase would have been impossible. They were informed afterward that the reason Kyle didn't die the first time around was because his heart wasn't located to the left like a damn normal person. But rather it was in the center of his chest due to an accident when he was little._

_He also discovered that the only reason Kurogane survived the blast with almost minimal injury was because Yuuko tackled him to the ground just in time. Debris still embedded itself in him unfortunately. She was now a welcomed edition to their family and was a proud Aunty of one very special blonde boy_.

_Syaoran confessed to taking a page out of the raven's book, and driving like a bat out of hell to reach the house in the short time that he did._

_Recovery was a slow process, it shook the entire family so hard, but they were closer now than ever thanks to it. Syaoran and Sakura took up permanent residence in the Suwa's new home that was notably larger than their old one. It wasn't necessarily a mansion but it was big enough to house both families and the newly expected edition, a baby from Sakura, in a few short months. _

_Repercussions were harsh. Yuki could no longer sleep alone, weather he was curled up between his fathers, or clinging to his aunt and uncle, it didn't matter so long as he knew someone was there that loved him and would protect him. In addition to his new sleeping habit he had developed a bad case of nyctophobia. The blonde would panic if the lights ever went out, especially if he wasn't holding onto somebody at the time. The adults could only hope that he would grow out of it given time. Not that they minded babying him, it just wasn't healthy for a little boy to be so skittish. Fai on the other hand couldn't handle looking at his reflection for a long while. He'd had all the mirrors put in boxes for months before his therapist eased him into looking at himself again._

_Syaoran found a term that summed his ordeal up rather nicely. The Doppelganger. It was his own living breathing nightmare and that was all he needed to know._

_With time they all seemed to adjust to one another without much friction to their relationships at all. In fact they all could claim to be much happier than they were before. It wasn't all roses though. Fai still got nightmares and had lapses of unexplainable fear but he was dealing with it and he had a lot of help from his family in doing so. He even wagered that he'd be back to his old mischievous self in no time at all with the rate things were progressing._

_Owari

* * *

_

**A/n:**Holy crap it's finally FINISHED! I wanted to get it out in time for Halloween but I didn't make it. It took so long I'm not even sure how long this damn story had time to stew. But if there are any mistakes please forgive me. I don't want to see this crappy story for another year much less edit it! I'm sick of the damn thing, I probably read the whole thing like five times and now I want nothing more to do with it. If it sucked, then I'm sorry for wasting your life! ;(

There will be an epilogue. I was going to put it in here but when I saw how long it was already I said "No freakin' Way!" I need a break. You can expect it around Christmas… (wink.. wink.. nudge..nudge, Bobs your uncle) You get it don't you? Oh well tell me what you think… or not.. I'd really appreciate it as always though. The dedication for that story will of course go to whoever else I promised a oneshot to. It's undecided yet.

By the way I did entertain the thought of making Kyle in love with Kuro-sama but how cliché is that? Even for me there was no way to make that concept original. Unless I made Kurogane kill Fai by accident and live happily ever after with Kyle. I would never be able to write a story like that though. Life's enough of a bitch! I can't stand spending my free time reading stories that's gonna depress the hell out of me in the end.

1) I wish that I could take credit for this but I can't. I don't remember where I read this from but it made me laugh!

2) They are concept cars that my artistic license permits me to use as my story is _fictional_.

3) Rough translation- Bastard I'll Kill you! You Blonde Idiot! Damnit! I'm not Japanese if it offends I apologies it wasn't meant to be nice in the first place. If it was used incorrectly then woops!

4) It's a Freudian joke well appreciated (or not) by psychology students. I found it hilarious when my professor made jokes on him.


End file.
